Coming Home~Part Five

Meanwhile, Isabel was finishing taking the sheets off the clothesline. Confused and hurt, she watched Franz walk away with his suitcases towards the stables, and after he opened the door and walked inside, she collapsed onto the ground. Slumped over the laundry basket with her skirt spread out around her ankles, she started to cry. Her mother came to the door of the house and was just about to call her daughter inside for dinner when she saw Isabel outside, and rushed out to her daughter's side.

"Isabel, dear, what's wrong?"

Isabel looked up at her mother through tear-stained eyes, ashamed to be crying like this. She was always so strong, always the one who stood by and wondered why everyone else was crying about something; she was never the one to shed the tears herself. But this was different

"It's Franz, mother," Isabel said between sobs, "he..he's come here, t-to Arizona, a-and he asked me to marry him, a-and I s-said n-no!"

"Franz Bhaer?" Isabel's mother said, "he was that nice young schoolteacher from Concord, wasn't he?"

Isabel nodded.

"Well, why'd you refuse his proposal? I thought you loved him? And if he came all the way out here, away from his family, he must love you too."

"I do, mother! I-I love him with all my heart! But everything is happening so fast, and I don't even know what he expects of me. After I tried to explain my feelings to him, he just walked away, over to the stables, to think I guess. I-"

Isabel broke down again, leaning against her mother and crying into her chest.

"That's okay, dear, let it all out," she smoothed her daughter's hair, and gently rubbed her back, "everything will be better soon, you'll see. Now, let's go inside and get something to eat. You must be starving after such an ordeal."

"Thanks, ma," Isabel said, and after picking up the basket, walked with her mother towards the house.

She was almost inside the door when she heard a gut-wrenching scream coming from the north end of the ranch.

"What was that?" Isabel's mother said as she paused on the porch.

Both stood still on the porch and continued to listen, waiting to hear the sound again, wondering what it could possibly be. After a minute, Isabel heard it. It was very faint, and barely carried across the length of the ranch, but her ears picked it up as well as if she were inside the stable. It was Franz, calling her name.

Quickly, she flew to the stable as fast as her legs could carry her. She fell down a couple of times, but just picked herself up and kept running, knowing deep in her heart that she had to get to the stable as soon as she could, that something was terribly wrong.

Once there, she leaned against the door, out of breath. Then, flinging the door open, she looked around and saw Franz laying up in the loft, unconscious, with one of his arms draped over the side. Scurrying up the ladder, she crawled over to where his limp body lay, and put her head on his chest, trying to hear a heartbeat. After what seemed like an eternity, she heard a soft thu-thump, and let out a sigh of relief. As she pulled back, she was horrified by what she saw. His other arm had a large black bruise on it, covering the majority of his forearm and slowly working its way up to his shoulder. She looked more closely, and saw two small bite marks in the middle of the bruise. It was then that she knew he had been bitten by a snake, most likely a poisonous one. Trying not to panic, she remembered something her brother Tony had told her about being able to suck out the venom with one's mouth. Without hesitation, she leaned over his body, and pressing her lips around the wound, began to withdraw what she hoped was venom out of Franz's arm. It tasted bitter, and she instinctively spit it out into the hay. After a few minutes, she could see the bruise begin to withdraw, and when she put her ear to his chest, the heartbeat seemed to be getting stronger.

"Franz," Isabel cried, looking at him while she held his hands in her own, "Franz, can you hear me? Please say you can hear me! You can't die, Franz, I love you!"

Turning around, she saw her mother and father come through the door with her brother Tony. The latter was carrying a small brown bottle and a syringe. He climbed up into the loft, went to Franz's side, and after filling the syringe with a milky fluid from the bottle, injected it into Franz's injured arm.

"Not sure what it is," Tony said, "a docter friend gave it ta me befer I left fer here. Thought I might need it if I ever had a run-in with a rattler. Guess it's s'posed ta prevent 'im from bleedin on th' inside."

After administering the injetion, he helped Isabel pull Franz to the ladder, and then helped her carry him to the house, where they laid him on her bed. He slept there peacefully, and Isabel sat there next to him all night, waiting.

---

The following morning, as the sun shone onto his face, Franz slowly opened his eyes, flinching in the sudden brightness. His arm felt sore, and it took a while for him to remember what had happened the previous night. It all seemed like a blur; he barely knew where he was. At first he thought he was at Plumfield, but then he slowly looked over next to him and saw Isabel sitting with her head on the edge of the bed. All at once, the memories came flooding back to him - coming to the ranch and seeing Isabel hanging laundry, the proposal, her refusal, the loft in the stable, the snake, then darkness.

"Isabel," he whispered, "Isabel, wake up."

Isabel sleepily opened her eyes and saw Franz, awake, smiling at her with those warm hazel eyes of his.

"Franz!" Isabel exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him, loosening her grip when he winced in pain, "you're alive! I thought...last night...I thought I was going to lose you!"

"Can't get rid of me that easily," Franz said groggily, "I've got cattle to keep in line on this here cattle ranch, and I don't intend to leave anytime soon."

Those were the exact words that Isabel had been waiting to hear. They answered all of her questions, told her that he was ready and willing to help her family and stay.

Slowly, Franz sat up and reached over to where his jacket was hung over a chair, and with his good arm, pulled out the ring.

"I'll say this one more time, Isabel. Really, you are trying my patience," taking her hands in his own, he gazed into her eyes, "Isabel McGregor, I love you more than life itself. When I lay unconscious after the snake bit me, the only thought in my head was what I'd do if I never saw you again. And when I woke up and saw you there beside me, I was happier than I have ever been in my life, happy to be alive and to have you near me. So, would you make me even happier than I am now and agree to be my wife?"

Before Isabel could say a single word, Franz continued, "I don't expect us to get married right away. I came here to be with you, and to help you run your brother's ranch, and I intend to do that. If it takes a year or two, I can wait, juat as long as I know I have something to wait for."

Tears of joy formed in Isabel's eyes, and before Franz could say another word, she cried out, "Yes, Franz Bhaer! I love you and I will marry you!"

After shakily placing the ring on her finger, he pulled her close and kissed her tenderly and lovingly. He kissed her on the same lips that had drawn the poisonous venom from his arm the night before, the very lips that had most likely saved his life. They continued their loving embrace until the door opened and Tony peeked inside.

Franz pulled back, wiping the tears from his and Isabel's faces. Looking back over her shoulder, Isabel could see her brother, standing in the doorway, smiling.

"Didn't think ya'd pull through fer a while there, Franz," he said as he approached the bed.

"Franz," Isabel said as her brother came closer, "this is my brother, Tony McGregor. Tony, this is Franz Bhaer, my husband-to be!"

Showing him her ring, she smiled, waiting for her brother's reaction.

"Isabel!" he exclaimed, "well, congrat'ylations! Wow, my littl' sis, gettin' married. Ya'd better take good care of er, Franz."

Tony patted Franz on his back and shook his hand, beaming with brotherly pride.

"Of course I will," Franz replied, taking Isabel's hand and looking lovingly into her eyes again, "but not until I've done what I came here to do. I believe there are cattle to herd out there."

Tony laughed, patting Franz on the back again, "well, ya need ta rest first. That arm is gonna hurt fer a couple a weeks, but I'm sure th' ladies cin find work fer ya around th' house. Maybe ya cin even help ma teach m' kid brother. I've heard yer a good teacher."

Franz's eyes opened wide in amazement. Teach? That would make him happier than we was when Isabel said yes to his proposal, if that was at all possible.

"Sounds great," Franz said, shaking Tony's hand happily.

"Well, I'd best be leavin' you two lovebirds alone, then," he said with a wink, backing out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Franz kissed Isabel again, then held her in his arms, happier than he had ever been in his life, because for the first time since leaving Plumfield, he was home. ~The Conclusion~