THE SHAKING

RATING: G
CHARACTERS: T M DrH mention of other characters
SYNOPSIS: An earthquake hits Saint Helena, and help comes from an unexpected source.

Doctor Helm was sound asleep, dreaming of his past. Dreaming of war. Men were screaming and dying. The roar of cannon fire and explosions pierced the air. Suddenly, the real night stillness was shattered by a loud bang and the earth shook. Dust fell and timbers gave way as roofs and ceilings collapsed.

Doctor Helm rolled as a beam landed on his bed. In the dark, he reached for his rifle and sword but they were nowhere to be found. Slowly, panic receding; he realized that he was in a small pueblo in California, far from Spain and far from war. Something else was happening.

He heard people screaming and yelling as he stumbled out of his shattered office, and into the pueblo. Torches were being set up as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. The moon tried to peak through the clouded cover.

"Earthquake," he said. " I have heard of them but never felt one. There will be wounded." He saw a soldier running by him and grabbed the panic stricken man. "Get some men over here to help me, and send others into the buildings to look for injured and do it rapido," he ordered.

The soldier yelled for his comrades. Five men were instructed to help the doctor and twenty more started to look for victims. Doctor Helm went back inside and lit a lamp. He gathered what supplies he could find and had two tables moved outside. "Set up several torches in a circle," he told two men. Already soldiers were bringing victims to him. This is going to be a long night.

~~~~~

At the Alvarado hacienda, Tessa, Marta and a few workers surveyed the damage. "Not too bad," thought Tessa. "Just a few broken pieces of pottery. No one was injured."

"See to the horses, Juan, and hitch up by surrey," ordered Tessa. "Marta, there will be injured at the pueblo and they will need help." Marta nodded in agreement.

They passed two haciendas along the way and stopped long enough to see if anyone needed help. Several people had broken limbs and two had head injuries, but no deaths. Tessa put the two with head injuries into her surrey and ordered the Dons to transport the other injured to the pueblo. All told, four wagons and carriages were needed to transport the victims.

~~~~~

The pueblo was a mad house; people were milling around aimlessly in panic. No one knew what to do and no one was giving orders. Colonel Montoya and Captain Grisham were strangely missing. Marta had some soldiers unload the wounded while Tessa went to see the doctor.

"I'm a little busy at the moment, woman. Get the hell out of my way!" yelled Doctor Helm, "Spoiled brat," he muttered as she walked back out.

Miffed, Tessa stomped out of the doctor's office and started giving orders and drafting anyone not injured to help. Marta was busy giving orders as well. They gathered blankets, bandages, and other necessary supplies for the injured. Soldiers were putting together makeshift stretchers and loading the worst of the victims onto them. Marta and Tessa bandaged the wounded and set broken limbs while Doctor Helm helped the more seriously injured in his office.

As the day progressed, Doctor Helm surveyed the pueblo. Twenty-five patients lay on the ground or on stretchers. All the patients had been treated except the two that were being brought in by soldiers. The two peasant women who had been helping him were covered with dirt and blood. He noticed that they washed their hands before they moved to the next patient. He did not know who they were as their heads were covered with scarves.

"Doctor, please come here," said one of the women, indicating the two new patients. He rushed over and discovered they were Captain Grisham and Colonel Montoya. Both were unconscious and appeared to have head wounds.

"Where were they found?" her companion asked.

"Colonel Montoya was laying on his bed with a beam atop his chest. Captain Grisham was in his room on the floor. The roof had collapsed," said one of the soldiers.

Without looking at the two peasant women, Helm told them what to do and then went for smelling salts. When he administered it to the men, they woke up. "Just lie there or you will pass out again," said the doctor. Now, he addressed the women, "Where did you learn…," he stopped short, mouth open as he stared at the faces of the two peasants, Marta and Tessa. Flabbergasted, Doctor Helm just kept staring.

"Close you mouth Doctor, you'll catch a fly," Tessa said.

Doctor Helm shook his head in wonderment. " It has been you two all along? I have been trying to figure out who you were. You were angels of mercy, I could kiss you both!"

"What's stopping you, doctor?" asked Tessa, with a smile. This infuriated Doctor Helm so much that he grabbed Marta and kissed her. Then he grabbed Tessa and kissed her. Then he turned around and stormed away.

"You really shouldn't tease him so, Tessita," said Marta still blushing.

"Maybe not, but you enjoyed that as much as I did," responded Tessa.

"That I did," whispered Marta.

~~~~~

Doctor Helm stormed into his wrecked office. "Damn women," he said to himself, "downright infuriating. On the other hand, they both kissed quite nicely. " He started clearing the wreckage. Hope it doesn't rain before I fix the roof. Working his way through to the examining room, he heard a noise, but didn't turn around. Periodically he went outside to check on his patients, ignoring the two women clearing the front room.

Three hours later, Doctor Helm surveyed his office. It looked presentable. Tessa and Marta were outside resting on two chairs that they had taken from the office. The three had not spoken since the kissing incident.

A tray with three glasses of wine and some cheese suddenly appeared in front of the ladies. "A token of my appreciation and gratitude for your help with the patients and my office," Helm said as he approached them. "I heard some of my patients talking. Some of them were shocked that the daughter of a Don would take care of the lowliest peon. I salute you both. Not one of the Dons or their households came to help."

Helm raised his glass in salute. "Tessa, you are not the spoiled brat that you pretend to be. You hide behind a mask very well. But that will be our secret." Helm drank a bit of wine and set the glass down on the table. "I wish you good morrow," he said as he returned to his office and closed the door.

Marta and Tessa just looked at each other, not saying a word.

THE END