Gold Raven (73 page)

Hope started backing further away
, shaking her head at him.

"Wait!" He called running up to grab her to him.

"Let me go." She ground through clenched teeth.

"No... I can't let you go. You have to
hear me out, you have to understand-..."

She was shrugging, struggling and
pulling, trying to free herself from his hold.

"Please don't, don't, don't
— don't do this... please Hope, I love you-..."

"Shut up! Don’t say it again!! Do you hear?!
No-..."

They began struggling as he tried in vain to maintain contact,
crying and pleading with her.

"Please Hope, don't do this to me-..."

"Don’t do this to you!?" She screamed in his face,
incredulously. "Let me gooo!! Let - me – gooo!!" She
bent her knees pulling her weight downward to break free of him,
shoving him away as she did. He finally had to let her go as she
quickly backed away from him, scuttling back and then flipping over
and springing to her feet. Her stomach felt on fire. Her entire body
felt as if it were burning where she stood.

Red Crow swiped at his eyes as he tried to think of a way to get
through to her. They stood panting and staring hard at each other; his
eyes beseeching, pleading, full of regret. Her eyes, harsh, angry and
unforgiving.
She turned from him marching through the woods, blocking out
his voice as he followed close, calling her.

'How could you have been so stupid? How? How? How? He came for you
Hope. Your father came for you, but where were you when he arrived? Off being lovey dovey with
Chief Red Crow. You married him! Well, are you happy now? Has y
our curiosity for man been satisfied? Hmm? Has your curiosity killed you cat?
Mike tried to warn you. Didn't he tell you? Didn't he try to keep you safe?
He tried to teach you. He told you the truth, but did you listen? Nooo,
stupid! Stupid! You're so stupid! He told you what to do! But you didn't listen. He told you to wait for him, just think, if only you had waited, like you were told. Nooo, you had to run off and get captured by soldiers! Then, by your
Indian lover! He loves you, Hope. And while you have your Indian, Mike,
Maria, the children... well, they are all with your father.
His father. Maynard Ramsey Webster! Mike is with him now. And you,
are with your Indian. You'll never find them now! Never... you had your chance,
and you blew it. Just blew it! Mike is gone. Your father is gone... you missed
them. It's not their fault... they came for you... they came. You blew it! You blew
it! You blew it!'

"Nooo, nooo, nooo – oh god!! Nooo!!"
Hope screamed from the mental torment her thoughts inflicted upon her, with
her hands covering her ears to make the voice within stop, she sprinted into a wild escape.

Sobbing, shaking and running, she
wanted to escape everything. She could not stand the thought of what her
decisions had cost her. Arriving at her mother-in-laws house, she banged on the door, screaming as if the devil himself were on her
heels to rob her of her soul.

Red Crow stopped at the edge of the woods as his wife ran from
him. He stood in a trance, with a feeling of impending doom. It was happening. That
something tragic Greeneye had warned him about had begun. He could feel it. Fear was stabbing at his soul like arrow after arrow, after arrow hitting it’s target.
He stood trying to think, how to stop it. The wheels
were turning. Leading them to something that neither of them had
the power to prevent.
'Please, make this all stop now. No more... make it
stop now I beg you. I was wrong! I am so sorry! My lesson has been learned.
Make all stop. Make it stop now.'
His guts twisted and turned, painfully
gripping until he thought he would drop to his knees. He could not
stand the distance, the wall she threw up between them. Somehow, he
had to reach her. Somehow, he had to stop everything before it was too late. He had to.

"Let me in please, let me in!!!" Hope screamed
hysterically, sobbing as she banged on the door.

With her heart jolting
into heavy pounding, Josey ran to the door as it seemed all hell had
broken loose. Snatching it open, not sure what she would find. Hope tumbled onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

"My God, what has happened!?" Josey screamed,
shocked and afraid from Hope's desperate manner.

"Close the door!! Hurry! Don’t let him near me
!! Keep him away from me!!!" She screamed, as she surged
to her feet and ran towards the back of the house, seeking a place to
hide.

Before Josey could catch her breath, Red Crow burst through the
door, almost knocking his mother to the floor. He grabbed her to
keep her from falling as he shouted, "Where is she, where is Hope?!!”

"Turn me loose! What in the hell is going on here?" She
demanded as her anger rose.

"Not now mother, I have to talk to Hope. I have to make her
understand. She has to listen to me!" He left his mother and started
running for the back of the house. "Hope! Hope! Please, please give me a chance to explain
!!" He shouted in search of her.

"Joseph Avery! Joseph Avery!! Come back here this instant
!! What have you done?!!"

He didn't have time to stop and explain, he ran from one room to
the other looking for Hope. "Hope! Hope!-..."

"Oh no you don't! I want to know what's going on right now! Do
you hear me! Joseph! Joseph!" Josey called after him, trying to catch
up to him to grab him as he ran through her home looking for his
wife.

Hope stood on the other side of the door in Josey's room with it
locked and holding her sobs as they threatened to break her down
once again. She covered her mouth hearing him bellow through the
house for her. She knew not to go to his old room, where she heard him busting in through the door. Next, he would come up the stairs
to check the other rooms.

"Joseph! Have you lost your mind?" Josey screamed trying to go up
the stairs with his same speed, taking the steps three at a time in his
urgency to seek Hope out. He was like a raging bull turned loose in
her house. The very walls shock with his rampage as he slammed one
door after another.

Hope heard him enter his sister's room with his mother
screaming behind him. She whimpered, knowing that this was the last
room for him to check. Suddenly he was there, banging on it.

"Joseph! Stop this moment and talk to me! What is going on?!"

"Hope! I know you’re in there!!! Open the door!
Please!!!"

"Nooo!!! I don’t want to see you!!! Why can’t you just leave me alone
! Just leave me alone
!!!" She cried and ran to the other side of the room away
from the door because he was banging on it so hard, shaking her up
even more.

"Joseph!! Stop it before you break my door in
!!"

"Hope, ple-e-ease!!! I never meant to hurt you
! God knows, I never meant to..."

"What - have - you - done?" Josey demanded, shaking so badly
she was on the verge of attacking.

"Please just go away and leave me alone
!! I never want to see your face again
!!"

"Open this door, or I swear I’ll break it in!" He
threatened, backing up to do just that.

"Joseph don’t you dare
!! Joseph! Joseph!"

Ignoring his mother, he shouldered the door, it took him three tries, and by the third it gave,
slamming against the inner wall with him charging in behind it.

"You stay away from me!!" Hope screamed, backing up
against Josey's bed. “Please tell him to stay away from me!” She cried out to her mother-in-law.

"Hope please, calm down and listen to me, I you would just give
me a chance-..."

"Y
ou kept my – my father from me!! You knew how
much I wanted to find him! You know what my family means to me!
I told you! I told you from the very beginning! How could you be so cruel?
I don't understand?" She stood with her shoulders starting to shake as she gave into the sobs that shook her.

With growing dread, Josey turned startled eyes on her son, "What is she talking
about?"

"Tell her!” She cried out, “Tell her what you did! Tell her how you have been lying
to me, over and over again! Day after day! You lied to get me to
marry you! And you lied to keep me! Tell her how you lied to my
father, lied to my brother! Then returned and lied even more to me!
Tell her!! Don’t just stand there looking at me that way
!! Tell her what you did!!"

Red Crow's hands clenched and flexed as all came to the fore,

"Well, aren't you going to tell her? She's looking at you! You liar!
Do you realize that I may never see them again! That might have been my only chance! I swear to God! I will - never forgive you for this!
Not - ever
!!!"

"Hope please – my god, don't say that. You don't mean it!!" He
cried as he took a step towards her to grab her, but she ran screaming
to the other side of the bed.

"No! Don’t touch me, not ever again! Do you hear?
! Not ever!!"

He was about to go to her despite her words when his mother
grabbed his arm. "No. You're not going to force her. Is it true, did
you see Manny, her father? Well answer me, did you?"

"
Mother... I didn't mean it.
I - I just - I don't know... I was
afraid she would leave me, for them." He tried to explain, and then
turned back to Hope. "I love you, it's just that I love you so much-…”

"Well I don't want your love! I don't need your love! I hate you!
Do you hear me? I hate you!! I'm sorry I ever laid eyes on you!! That I ever married you!!"

"Nooo, please..." With his guts twisting, he turned to his
mother. "Please, you have to make her listen to me."

Josey was too stunned to respond. She felt sorry for them both, and at the moment, there was nothing she could do or say to make
this easier on either. Turning from his mother, in desperation, Red Crow crossed the room
to Hope.

"Nooo, don’t come near me!! Josey, keep him away from me
!!" Hope shrieked as she backed up further
into the corner of the room.
Josey responded by grabbing Red Crow and spinning him to look at her, both of her hands gripping his strong arms as she struggled to
hold onto him.

"Listen to me. Nothing will be solved this way. You are bo
th too upset, you're getting Hope too upset, it is not good for
the-..."

"Nooo, no! Josey, no, no!” Hope shook her head
vehemently, pleading with her eyes. She did not want him to know
about the baby. Not now, it was just too much. Her head was
throbbing like mad as she fought to keep focused on them, but the
room spun. Her ears started popping and ringing, she was going to
faint. The last thing she wanted was to faint and have him run to her.
She sank onto the bed, thinking it looked normal despite
everything swimming around her.

"Hope!!" Red Crow shouted her name, alarmed to see her on
the verge of collapse.

"Do you see? You are making her sick! This is too much! Go!
You must let her calm down; give me time to talk with her, just -
leave." Josey ordered him.

She began pushing him towards the door. "Mother please, I just
want to - I just want to hold her and make it alright, don't you understand... I can't live without her."

"Not now, Joseph. Not now. Give her some time. Son, if you
don't go, you're only going to make it worse, listen to me, for
once - listen. Now go."

"Just make her understand." He pleaded.

"How can I make her understand, when I don't understand you
myself!" She snapped, angry at the mess he had made of everything.
At the door, he looked over his mother's shoulder. Hope was lying
down, her head on the pillow with her back to him.

"Hope...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I love you. No matter what...
know that I love you with all I have... please know that." Turning, he
ran down the hall, then the stairs and out of the house.