Teacher

When they got to his cabin Song stopped in surprise. She looked around at all the improvements Tom made to his little home and sank down on a log Tom used for a seat. She looked at him in shock and said, "But this wasn't here last week. I know because I was here with your family, but it looks like you've lived here all summer. You couldn't have built that cabin in four days. There wasn't a garden over there either. What's going on Tom? I'm getting scared here."

"Exactly, Song. I've been here all summer except for the times I rode back to where Cherokee is supposed to be, trying to get home."

"No. You couldn't have."

The two friends talked until full dark before turning in for the night. Early the next morning they loaded their gear and moved out heading home. This time was just like all the others during Tom's long summer. When they got to where Cherokee was supposed to be Song stood and looked around in a daze. She sank to the ground and said, "This isn't possible. Look, there's the tree that's beside the store except it's a lot smaller, now. The post office should be over there. All the roads are gone. Are you sure we're in the right place? There has to be a mistake."

"Nope, no mistake, Song. This is Cherokee, or it will be in about 50 years or so. I met an old man here one of the first times I came. He was dressed in buckskins and carrying an old flintlock. He swore it was 1833. I've been thinking about taking a trip to the coast sometime next summer to see what I can find out. I don't know what else to do here. Now, come on, let's get a good night's sleep and then go back to the valley."

When they were lying in their sleeping bags, Song said, "Tom? What was that real shimmery thing in the cut to the valley yesterday morning? I felt cold and really weird when I rode through it."

"Song, I think that's what got us here. Off and on for years there has been a barely noticeable shimmer many times when I came to the valley through that cut. The day I came this time it was real sharp and very noticeable. There was a deep humming resonance, too. I could almost feel the vibrations in my bones. I've decided that was some kind of time warp or something and threw us back here. I've been hoping to find it again and go out of the valley when it was at a strongly visible level but so far I've never seen it from the valley side at all. We should have never walked into it when we did. Maybe then we'd still be in 2013 where we belong."

Song rolled to Tom and hugged him. She was crying quietly. She said, "Will we ever get out of here and see our family again, Tom? What's going to happen to us?"

"I don't know, Song, but I've about given up hope. I can't remember how many times I've gone in and out of the cut and never ended up anywhere except where we were yesterday. We just need to make the best of our situation and hope for the best. In fact, I've almost decided I'm happier here than I was in 2013. I'm more at peace here and my soul is cleaner. I do miss my family but, really, that's all. Oh, I miss some of the food I used to eat, also. I would kill for one of Mom's fried chicken dinners and a pizza right now."

Song was quiet for several minutes before saying, "Tom, at least I'm glad I get to be here with you."

Tom pulled Song tighter to his side and gave her a kiss before they drifted off to sleep.

Just as the sun was breaking over the hills the next morning Tom woke. When he opened his eyes he jumped. There were two Indian men and a woman sitting quietly beside his still smoldering fire. There was a young boy wrapped in skins lying beside the fire also.

The woman looked at Tom and bowed her head. One of the braves looked Tom in the eye and said, "Greetings, Great One. We have heard of your offer to heal and come to you for your help. My son, Night Stalker, has a great injury that does not heal. We fear he is near death. Please, heal him, O Great One."

When she heard the voices, Song came awake. She looked at the visitors and jerked in her surprise. She turned to Tom and said, "Tom, what is he saying? I only understood part of his speech."

"Not now," Tom said to Song in English. He then turned to the Indians and said, "I will look at the boy and do what I can."

Tom rose from his makeshift bed and moved carefully beside the child. The boy appeared to be about 12 or 13. When Tom uncovered him he grimaced. The boy had a badly broken arm. It was a compound break that was poorly reset. The area around the open wound was still dirty and blood crusted. There were streaks of angry red radiating away from the break. The boy was very feverish.

Tom turned to Song and said, "Get one of my pans out and begin boiling some water. Put on some coffee, too, please. I need to clean this wound first off, then I'll have to disinfect it and set or maybe reset the bones."

Tom turned to the Indians and said, "I need wood for the fire and several small very straight sticks to set the arm with. I will do what I can, but the injury is very serious."

When people began moving to carry out his instructions Tom moved to his packs and took out his medical kit. Like many Medics, EMT's and other Health Care Professionals, Tom carried the tools of his trade with him. He had a fully functional medical kit for a Green Beret Medic. Additionally, he had several vials of bootlegged antibiotics and medications with him. He was confident he could help the boy if the infection didn't turn to gangrene before the antibiotics had a chance to take hold. As soon as the pot of water was on the fire to boil Tom placed the instruments he thought he would need in it.

The young man lay staring at Tom quietly during the exam and preparation. His eyes never left Tom, no matter where he moved. After the water with the instruments in it had boiled for about 20 minutes Tom poured some of the water into another pot to use to clean the wound. He also pulled the pot the instruments were in near the boy and drained the rest of the water into another pot.

Before he began cleaning the wound Tom looked at the adults and child then said, "This will be painful. He needs to be very still while I work on him. I will give him some medicine to help dull the pain but you need to help hold him still."

Tom washed the wound well, opening the wound as he did so. It began bleeding slightly once again. Tom took one of the clean sterile instruments and probed the wound for bone chips and foreign matter. The boy moaned and jerked his arm slightly as Tom worked. Tom only found one bone chip which he removed. He held the wound open and poured a mixture of Hydrogen Peroxide and Alcohol into it then turned the arm so it could drain.

After he was satisfied the wound was as clean as he could get it Tom told the two men to hold the child still. Tom then carefully but rapidly set the bones as well as he could and applied the splint. He wished he could have pinned the bones together but he just didn't have the tools. After the bones were set Tom sewed the wound closed and dressed it. He laid the arm across the boy's abdomen and tied it securely.

Tom stood and said, "I need to watch this young man for several days to finish the healing. I must give him medicines to fight the infection. Can you bring him to my home and stay for a while so I may do this?"

While he was talking Tom prepared a shot of penicillin and injected the boy. He then busied himself cleaning his instruments and putting his medical kit away. After his medical kit was securely packed Tom packed his camping gear.

The Indians discussed the move between themselves then the brave who spoke before said, "We will come." They moved picked up their own belongings to prepare for the move. One of the men walked into the trees and returned with a horse pulling a travois. They carefully placed the boy on the travois and stood waiting on Tom and Song to move out.

For the next two weeks Tom and Song watched the boy. He slowly got better and was moving around on his own. He was weak but out of danger. During that time, Tom found out Song was one semester away from obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in nursing and becoming a Registered Nurse. Her help was invaluable. They spent many hours training the Indians on health issues while the injured boy recuperated. Neither Tom nor Song knew how much good their training would do because of ingrained traditional methods of treating sickness and injury. The old guard Shamans and Medicine Women would be loath to allow change, but they tried.

While they waited on the boy to heal enough to return to his home the Indians helped Tom and Song get in meat for the upcoming winter. Of course, much of what they hunted they ate, but the excess was smoked into jerky or made into pemmican for later use. The woman helped by gathering nuts and vegetables for storage and later use.

On the morning the small group left for their home, Tom and Song watched them go with mixed emotions. They were glad they could help the young man and happy for the family. They were sad to see their friends leave, however, for that is how they came to feel about the four Indians.

As they watched the Indians move out of sight Tom wrapped his arm around Song and hugged her to him. She looked up at his face and licked her lips. Tom bent his head down and gave her a kiss without thinking about his actions. Song whimpered and pulled herself tightly to his muscular body. Her tongue snaked into his mouth and she ground her crotch into his. She moaned once again when she felt the hardness in his pants.

After their new friends were out of sight Tom led Song to their bed and gently undressed her. She helped him remove his clothes and they collapsed onto the bed. Their first coupling was fast, hard and almost violent as they released their pent up need for one another. After the coupling, Song laid her head on Tom's shoulder and gently cried.

When he saw her crying Tom became concerned and said, "I didn't hurt you did I honey? I'm sorry if I did."

Song smiled and said, "No, you were perfect. I'm just so happy. I had almost given up hope you would ever make love to me. Oh, Tom, I love you so much. I always have. When you married that bitch I was so afraid I had lost you forever."

Tom and Song spent the remainder of the day making love and relaxing. They lay in the sun and made love. When the sun became too warm for them they moved to the shade and made love again. Finally, early in the evening they went into the cold pool below the waterfall to wash up before eating and falling into bed for an exhausted sleep.

After the small group left Tom and Song they began to get a steady stream of people coming for medical help. Tom's modern drugs were being depleted rapidly. He racked his brain trying to decide how to continue helping the Indians. His first thought was plain sanitation. He cobbled together a still and made alcohol for disinfectant use. He and Song made lye soap for their own use and the use of those he could convince to use it. He also began experiments to grow his own penicillin and began asking if any of the visitors knew where they could find sulfa so he could use it to help the injured. Of course they didn't know what sulfa was so Tom had to describe the mineral to them. Finally, he found an Indian that thought he knew where there was a hot spring with the yellow dirt Tom described.

The Indian agreed to take Tom to the place so he could get a sample. Tom and the Indian left early one morning to get the sample. He left Song alone at his camp with an Indian brave who was a patient. Tom and his companion took most of two days to make the trip to the deposit. It was, indeed, sulfa. Tom gathered a large quantity of the mineral before he and his companion returned to Tom's valley.

When they arrived home they found all Tom's horses and mules gone as well as Song. Much of their stored food and supplies were missing also. Tom and his companion quickly replenished their supplies and dropped off the Sulfa then began tracking his horses.

After two long days of tracking Tom and Deer Stalker, his companion, caught up with Song and her captor. It was the Indian brave she had been treating when Tom and Deer Stalker left for the sulfa spring. There were several other Indians in the small camp or village when Tom arrived.

When Tom and Deer Stalker rode into the camp they were met by three men. Tom said, "I have trailed my horses and my woman to this camp. She was stolen while I was away from my camp searching for medicine. I want her and my belongings back, now. I also want the man who took her and my belongings. I healed him then when I was away from camp he abused my hospitality and stole my woman and belongings. I intend to make him pay."

"No. You go now in peace. If not you will be killed," said the chief.

Tom saw the brave who he suspected of taking Song come from a teepee. He rode his horse roughly through the gathered Indians knocking some down. When he rode up to the man exiting the teepee, the horses shoulder knocked the brave down. Tom ducked into the teepee and saw many of his belongings there. Song was tied and gagged lying in the back. Her face was bruised and she had some cuts and scrapes on her skin.

Tom was back out of the teepee before the brave was fully standing. Tom saw Deer Stalker near the fallen brave facing the assembled Indians. When the Indian that Tom's horse had knocked down saw him come back out of the teepee he pulled his knife and moved toward Tom. Tom knew how this was going to end. He dodged the Indian's first strike, then moved in. Faster than the eye could follow Tom went on the attack. He slapped the arm aside with its handful of knife, moved behind the Indian, grabbed his head and gave a quick twist. Everyone around heard the loud snap. The brave collapsed to the ground with his head cocked at an unnatural angle.

Tom looked up and two more braves were coming for him. This battle lasted very little longer than had the first and they, too, were on the ground dead. One had his own knife stuck in his abdomen. The other was choking and holding his throat trying to breathe. Tom stepped back and said, "Are there any more of you who will try to keep me from taking my property and my woman now? As you can see, I have strong medicine. I will help my people but I will not allow them to take what is mine.

There were angry glares from several of the men but none stepped forward to challenge Tom. The chief set his jaw angrily and said, You have defeated those three in a fair fight. Take what is yours and go."

Tom quickly went into the teepee and released Song. She grabbed him and hugged him tightly as the tears flowed. She said, "I knew you would come for me. Tom, I love you so much. Thank you for coming to save me."

"Shhhh. I'm here now. Are you ok honey? Did he hurt you?"

Song broke out in deep sobs and said, "Tom, he raped me. He hit me and then he raped me. I tried to fight him off but I couldn't. I'm so, so sorry Tom."

Tom pulled Song to his chest once again and gently said, "Are you ok, Song? I know that was a frightening thing but do you have an injury I need to treat before we get out of here?"

Song slowly got her tears under control and said, "No. I'm a little sore but I can ride. Let's just get out of here, now. I have some scrapes we need to look at, but not here. I want to go home."

Tom moved out of the teepee to go in search of his animals. He found Deer Stalker leading them up to the front of the teepee. Deer Stalker said, "I brought your animals from where they were tied behind the teepee."

Tom said, "Thank you, my friend."

Tom and Song quickly loaded their belongings. He helped Song onto her horse then they began the journey home. When they were almost a quarter mile from the camp Deer Stalker said, "I go back to my people now, my friend. You will be welcome in our village any time."

Almost before he finished his farewell Deer Stalker disappeared into the woods.

Tom had not noticed when they left camp that they were followed. He now felt stupid because he did not keep his eyes on his back trail. He now saw there were two women and three children following about fifty feet behind him and Song. When he turned to move out once again he saw them pick up packs and begin to follow once again. When he was sure they were following him and Song he stopped and rode back to them. He asked, "Why are you following us?"

The woman looked at Tom in shock then glanced at her companions. She lowered her head and said, "We thought it was your wish, Husband. Do you not want us with you? You told the chief you were taking your women and property to return to your home."

"What? You are not my wives. Why do you say that?"

The entire group looked upset. The woman who had been speaking lowered her head once again and said, "Forgive me please, Great One. This slave made a mistake. Please do not punish the others for my error. We go with our master to do his bidding."

Tom looked at Song and said English, "What the hell is going on here? Do you have any idea?"

"Maybe, Tom. I think years ago when a brave killed another in a fair fight all he owned became the property of the winner. If the loser had women they also became the property of the winner. I think those women and children are yours to do with as you see fit. You can use them as slaves or concubines. You can also sell them, give them away or make them your wives. The children are treated much the same, although, especially for the boys, they are usually adopted and become your children."

"Shit. What the hell are we going to do about this? Can't I just send them back to the village?"

"You could but it would be cruel. They would be outcast if I understand things correctly. They would get little or no food and would be treated horribly. It would be kinder to just kill them."

"FUCK! Well, let's get along. We'll sort this out later. I want to get away before someone decides to come after us again."

Tom looked at the now terrified group and said in Cherokee, "Well, come on. We'll talk more about this later."

The small group looked slightly happier and picked up the packs they had dropped when they stopped. They all began walking behind Tom and Song. After a few feet Tom stopped once again and got off his horse. He waited for the group to catch up and told them to take off their packs. Once again they seemed scared.

Tom moved to the pack animals and said, "Bring your packs to me. We will tie them to the pack saddles so you can move easier and faster."

A look of relief flashed across the faces of Tom's new family. When they started up once again, Tom put the youngest child, a girl, on the horse in front of himself. He placed the next youngest, a boy, in front of Song then led off toward home once again. This time the women and older boy were able to keep up very well and seemed to be traveling easier.

When they pitched camp that night the newly acquired women rushed around making camp and beginning to prepare the evening meal. They would not let Tom do anything and allowed Song to do very little. Tom noticed his and Song's bedding was together. The women placed their furs nearby and the children's several feet away.

While the meal was cooking the two younger children ran back and forth between the women and Tom. The older boy who appeared to be about ten years old sat and observed. It was almost comical watching him pretend to be a man. His expression was so somber and serious you could see he thought he was cock of the walk.

When the meal was prepared, Song brought Tom his plate piled high with meat and a few wild greens and tubers. She went back and got herself a plate then sat beside him. The women and children gasped when they saw her do that and glared at her. After a few bites Tom noticed no one else was eating. He raised his head and asked, "Why are you not eating this fine meal?"