She shivered. Why couldn’t she feel a thing? Her fingers, her arms, her legs ... all numb. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe.
Nurse Krueger stood there for several moments, her hands still on Father’s shoulders. Then she laid her head on Father’s chest. When she righted herself, she put a hand in front of his nose and then shook her head. “I’m afraid ... I’m afraid he’s gone, miss.” She stood tall and stiff and straightened her skirts with her hands. “I’ll go inform Mrs. Jankowski.”
Martha’s jaw went slack. Just like that? It was over? Her father was ... dead? All the questions that had plagued her since he’d fallen rushed through her mind.
There would be no chance at a closer relationship. He wouldn’t be around when her dinosaur was put on display. He wouldn’t be there for her wedding, or the birth of her first child.
Antoni Jankowski was gone.
Footsteps sounded in the hall. Much faster than normal.Mother’s voice echoed from the doorway. “No...” and tapered off in a whimper.
Martha walked over to the window and stared out at the blue sky. The weather should be dark and gray. The heavens pouring out their own sorrow in droplets of rain.
But no. It was sunny. A cloudless day.
Happy weather.
She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, but her fingers had gone numb as she’d squeezed her arms tight around her ribs.
Nurse Krueger and Mother exchanged words, but Martha didn’t understand them. Her head was full of cotton. Nothing made sense. Was the room spinning or was it her? The doctor was surely on his way here now.
Would they take Father’s body away and she’d never see him again? Was that how all this worked?
“My dear...” Mother’s voice floated over to her as she wrapped Martha in a hug.
That was the last straw. Martha burst into tears and turned into her mother’s embrace. They cried together and Mother whispered soothing words... more than Martha had ever heard from her mother in her lifetime. Martha drank the terms of endearment into her heart like they were water to a parched throat.
Which made the ache grow within her.
Mourning the loss of the man who was her father.
Mourning the loss of any relationship with him in the future.
And mourning the lack of a relationship with her own mother, even as she stood in her arms.
SUNDAY, JUNE2, 1889•JANKOWSKIDIGSITE
Jacob sat on top of the ridge and looked down at the quarry site. It was quiet today. No chinking of metal against rock.No rhythmic swishes of brushes clearing rock and dirt. No voices.
After church, he’d come here. Alone with the wind and the picturesque views behind the sandstone, limestone, and mudstone.
The mountains were glorious. A bit of snow remained on the highest peaks, and the foothills were still a little chilly in the morning. He breathed deep of the clean air and picked up a blade of dried grass. There was no doubt, in the heat of the day, that summer had taken hold in the Rocky Mountains.
Splitting the grass into several thin, tan strands, he stared off into the distance. Two weeks had passed since Martha lost her father. Ever since, he’d promised her to do his best to keep everyone inspired and working diligently at the dig.
She’d promoted him to foreman in her absence. With Mr. Parker to assist. Why she’d done it, he didn’t understand, especially since he was the newest member of the crew. But the men didn’t balk. He hadn’t heard any rumblings. Hopefully it would stay that way.
His fellow workers were good men. They’d worked harder and longer each day, helping Martha in her time of sorrow.
Lily Rose had even come out to the dig a few times with Martha’s driver, scribbling the updates on a pad of paper to take back. They had hovered and intimidated the workers with some harsh words, but Jacob couldn’t really blame them. They were protecting Martha—trying to help in the best way they knew how in her time of grief.
More than anything, he wished Martha would come back to the dig. Not only so she could be a part of what she’d started. But he missed seeing her every day, talking with her, discussing intellectual ideas, sharing excitement over each fossil brought out of the ground. And her smile. Oh, he missed her smile.
Stop it!Martha was in mourning.
Even so, from everything they’d talked about, it didn’t seemlike Martha had been close to her family. In all honesty, it didn’t sound like she’d ever been close to anyone.
Other than Phoebe. Martha had mentioned her governess a few times, but he wasn’t sure how to bring her up again. Not that he had a right to push his way into anything.
