Beyond A Sky So Blue -- Part V

Meryl watched the doctor work from the doorway of Milly’s room. He had stopped the bleeding from the gash on her temple shortly after the tall girl had regained consciousness. He had the wound cleaned and bandaged before he entertained any discussion of moving Milly to her room.

Milly had been unsteady on her feet. Yet, by some miracle, she and the short, elderly doctor managed to get her upstairs. He allowed Meryl to change Milly’s clothes before completing the rest of his exam.

“Your friend is very lucky,” he said, looking at Meryl over his shoulder. He waited a moment before he turned his gaze back to his patient. “You, my dear, are to take it easy. I don’t want you out of this bed without assistance for the next day.”

“But what about work?” Milly asked.

The doctor sighed. “We can talk about that toward the end of a week. Now, who will be staying with her?”

“I will,” Meryl said without hesitation.

“But, Meryl, we’ll . . .”

“It’ll be fine, Milly,” Meryl stated, cutting off Milly’s protest.

“Well,” the doctor said, closing his bag, “I will be back tomorrow afternoon to check on our patient. I want a report of good behavior, young lady.”

“I will, sir.”

Meryl nodded. “I’ll see to it.”

“Good. I will see you both tomorrow. I’ll see myself out.”

The two women listened to his footsteps fade away. Meryl closed the bedroom door. She leaned back against it as she studied her partner. The bandages stood out against her brown hair and the skin around them was already bruising.

“What really happened, Milly?”

“Mostly what I told the doctor. I got home early from work and was making a snack in the kitchen. Suddenly Mr. Vash’s brother was there. He seemed surprised to see me.

“I told him that he shouldn’t be out of bed, that he was still injured. I came up to him to get him back upstairs when he shoved me. I fell against the table and hit my head. I don’t remember anything after that.”

“I see,” Meryl said quietly, frowning.

“Vash went after his brother again, didn’t he?”

Meryl nodded, not daring to look at Milly.

“He’ll be back again, Meryl.”

“I know.” Meryl gave herself a shake. When she faced Milly, there was a new determination in her eyes. “I’m going to send word to our employers and then start on dinner.”

“I’m sorry that I’ve caused so much trouble.”

“It’s not your fault, Milly! You did nothing wrong. Now, you’re going to rest up and get better just like the doctor said. You hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Now you rest and I’ll be back up with some soup in a bit.”

Milly settled back against her pillow as Meryl headed downstairs. Meryl was good at hiding her emotions most of the time, but she was dealing with too much at the moment. Milly couldn’t help but feel guilty that she had caused some of her friend’s worry.

* * * * *

Vash stood, panting, as he surveyed the huge expanse of sand before him. He had wondered where his brother would go before this occurred to him. Of course Knives would come back for the guns.

However, his brother was nowhere in sight. A quick scan showed his footprints all around before venturing off further into the desert. If Knives had come to look for their guns, he hadn’t looked long.

And that puzzled Vash. The guns would have been covered by yarz and yarz of sands by the explosion. Who knew what condition they would be in?

Had Knives realized this and merely moved on? Or had Knives sensed his pursuit and had given up his search to put more distance between them? Had Knives been successful and merely found the weapons quickly?

Vash wished he knew.

* * * * *

Meryl pulled the old blanket tighter around her shoulders as she settled more comfortably on the porch step. Her eyes kept drifting to the horizon. She told herself that she was admiring the sunset, but she couldn’t lie even to herself.

She heard footsteps behind her. She turned just in time to see the foreman, Ben, exit the house. He didn’t have the bouquet with him that he arrived with.

Meryl smiled, the first true happy emotion she had felt in a long time. “Thank you for being for so understanding. And for dropping by. It means a lot to Milly.”

“Your friend’s something special,” but he almost said it to himself. He seemed to realized that he had spoken aloud and gave a sheepish smile. “Her job will be there as soon as the doctor clears her. Don’t let her worry about that.”

“I will.”

Tipping his hat to her, he headed back towards town. Meryl forced herself to get up and go inside. She put the finishing touches on dinner and carried a tray upstairs to Milly.

The foreman’s visit had definitely put her partner in better spirits. While the doctor had allowed her to move about unassisted, he had forbidden her from going downstairs. That effectively had confined Milly to her room, and Meryl thought that she was becoming a little stir-crazy.

“Oh, wow, everything smells so good, Meryl,” Milly said, tearing herself from the window.

“Thanks, Milly,” Meryl replied as she set the tray down on a table. “You eat and then straight to bed. I’ll get the dishes in the morning.”

“But, Meryl, I . . .”

“No buts,” Meryl interjected. “The doctor will clear you in a few days but only if you follow his instructions. You don’t want to be stuck up here forever, do you?”

Milly fervently shook her head. The action reminded Meryl of a small child and she had to fight the urge to laugh. “Good. I’ll see in the morning.”

“Night, Meryl!”

“Good night, Milly.”

Shaking her head in amusement, Meryl shut the door behind her. Her light mood evaporated as she headed to her own room. She shut the door firmly behind her.

She eyed the stack of mail awaiting her on her small desk. She summoned her courage as she sat down. The mail was quickly divided into a single personal letter, two business correspondences from Bernadelli, and a stack of piles.

Meryl set aside the letter from mother to read later. She immediately opened the Bernadelli letter addressed to her. It informed her to stay in her present location and that her idea of a branch office was being considered. A check was enclosed, and Meryl prayed that Milly’s letter contained the same.

With the security of the small Bernadelli check, she began to go through the bills. The return of Vash with his brother had put some strain on their finances, but it wasn’t as much as she feared. With some extra belt-tightening she could probably make their money stretch until she and Milly were working again.

Meryl rose from her desk. The letter from her mother would have to wait another day. She went through the motions of her nightly routine and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

* * * * *

‘So this is it,’ Vash thought, sinking to his knees.

He stared at the endless iles of sand. The wind was had picked up and erased his brother’s footprints. There was no sign of Knives in sight.

Having no other choice, Vash tried to sense his brother. He really hadn’t been expecting to feel him, but he still felt disappointment when he got no results. What Vash had in terms of power, Knives made up for in terms of skill. Vash would not be able to find his brother that way until Knives wanted to be found.

Vash sat back on his heels. He needed to make a decision. Should he continue his pursuit of Knives or go home until Knives wanted to be found?

If he continued his pursuit, he was almost doomed to failure. He had no clues as to where his brother might be. He would be merely wandering around in the desert and he was ill-equipped to do that beyond the next few days.

Home was definitely the more appealing option. He didn’t know when he equated the word with the insurance girls, but he had. And he promised Meryl that he would try to come back.

Yet, it would leave Knives out here, allowing his brother to plot out his next nefarious plan. Knives’ hatred for mankind still festered. Vash didn’t want to think of what horrors he could still be capable of.

Vash felt his stomach tightened. Knives now knew about the girls and that Vash cared for them. They would be a perfect target for his brother. Once again, Vash realized that he was the one who had put the girls in danger.

He rose to his feet as his resolve firmed. He made his decision. The wind swirled sand around him as he resumed walking.


Tribulation Meryl watched the doctor work from the doorway of Milly’s room. He had stopped the bleeding from the gash on her temple shortly after the tall girl had regained consciousness. He had the wound cleaned and bandaged before he entertained any discussion of moving Milly to her room. Milly had been unsteady on her feet. Yet, by some miracle, she and the short, elderly doctor managed to get her upstairs. He allowed Meryl to change Milly’s clothes before completing the rest of his exam. “Your friend is very lucky,” he said, looking at Meryl over his shoulder. He waited a moment before he turned his gaze back to his patient. “You, my dear, are to take it easy. I don’t want you out of this bed without assistance for the next day.” “But what about work?” Milly asked. The doctor sighed. “We can talk about that toward the end of a week. Now, who will be staying with her?” “I will,” Meryl said without hesitation. “But, Meryl, we’ll . . .” “It’ll be fine, Milly,” Meryl stated, cutting off Milly’s protest. “Well,” the doctor said, closing his bag, “I will be back tomorrow afternoon to check on our patient. I want a report of good behavior, young lady.” “I will, sir.” Meryl nodded. “I’ll see to it.” “Good. I will see you both tomorrow. I’ll see myself out.” The two women listened to his footsteps fade away. Meryl closed the bedroom door. She leaned back against it as she studied her partner. The bandages stood out against her brown hair and the skin around them was already bruising. “What really happened, Milly?” “Mostly what I told the doctor. I got home early from work and was making a snack in the kitchen. Suddenly Mr. Vash’s brother was there. He seemed surprised to see me. “I told him that he shouldn’t be out of bed, that he was still injured. I came up to him to get him back upstairs when he shoved me. I fell against the table and hit my head. I don’t remember anything after that.” “I see,” Meryl said quietly, frowning. “Vash went after his brother again, didn’t he?” Meryl nodded, not daring to look at Milly. “He’ll be back again, Meryl.” “I know.” Meryl gave herself a shake. When she faced Milly, there was a new determination in her eyes. “I’m going to send word to our employers and then start on dinner.” “I’m sorry that I’ve caused so much trouble.” “It’s not your fault, Milly! You did nothing wrong. Now, you’re going to rest up and get better just like the doctor said. You hear me?” “Yes, ma’am.” “Good. Now you rest and I’ll be back up with some soup in a bit.” Milly settled back against her pillow as Meryl headed downstairs. Meryl was good at hiding her emotions most of the time, but she was dealing with too much at the moment. Milly couldn’t help but feel guilty that she had caused some of her friend’s worry. * * * * * Vash stood, panting, as he surveyed the huge expanse of sand before him. He had wondered where his brother would go before this occurred to him. Of course Knives would come back for the guns. However, his brother was nowhere in sight. A quick scan showed his footprints all around before venturing off further into the desert. If Knives had come to look for their guns, he hadn’t looked long. And that puzzled Vash. The guns would have been covered by yarz and yarz of sands by the explosion. Who knew what condition they would be in? Had Knives realized this and merely moved on? Or had Knives sensed his pursuit and had given up his search to put more distance between them? Had Knives been successful and merely found the weapons quickly? Vash wished he knew. * * * * * Meryl pulled the old blanket tighter around her shoulders as she settled more comfortably on the porch step. Her eyes kept drifting to the horizon. She told herself that she was admiring the sunset, but she couldn’t lie even to herself. She heard footsteps behind her. She turned just in time to see the foreman, Ben, exit the house. He didn’t have the bouquet with him that he arrived with. Meryl smiled, the first true happy emotion she had felt in a long time. “Thank you for being for so understanding. And for dropping by. It means a lot to Milly.” “Your friend’s something special,” but he almost said it to himself. He seemed to realized that he had spoken aloud and gave a sheepish smile. “Her job will be there as soon as the doctor clears her. Don’t let her worry about that.” “I will.” Tipping his hat to her, he headed back towards town. Meryl forced herself to get up and go inside. She put the finishing touches on dinner and carried a tray upstairs to Milly. The foreman’s visit had definitely put her partner in better spirits. While the doctor had allowed her to move about unassisted, he had forbidden her from going downstairs. That effectively had confined Milly to her room, and Meryl thought that she was becoming a little stir-crazy. “Oh, wow, everything smells so good, Meryl,” Milly said, tearing herself from the window. “Thanks, Milly,” Meryl replied as she set the tray down on a table. “You eat and then straight to bed. I’ll get the dishes in the morning.” “But, Meryl, I . . .” “No buts,” Meryl interjected. “The doctor will clear you in a few days but only if you follow his instructions. You don’t want to be stuck up here forever, do you?” Milly fervently shook her head. The action reminded Meryl of a small child and she had to fight the urge to laugh. “Good. I’ll see in the morning.” “Night, Meryl!” “Good night, Milly.” Shaking her head in amusement, Meryl shut the door behind her. Her light mood evaporated as she headed to her own room. She shut the door firmly behind her. She eyed the stack of mail awaiting her on her small desk. She summoned her courage as she sat down. The mail was quickly divided into a single personal letter, two business correspondences from Bernadelli, and a stack of piles. Meryl set aside the letter from mother to read later. She immediately opened the Bernadelli letter addressed to her. It informed her to stay in her present location and that her idea of a branch office was being considered. A check was enclosed, and Meryl prayed that Milly’s letter contained the same. With the security of the small Bernadelli check, she began to go through the bills. The return of Vash with his brother had put some strain on their finances, but it wasn’t as much as she feared. With some extra belt-tightening she could probably make their money stretch until she and Milly were working again. Meryl rose from her desk. The letter from her mother would have to wait another day. She went through the motions of her nightly routine and was asleep before her head hit the pillow. * * * * * ‘So this is it,’ Vash thought, sinking to his knees. He stared at the endless iles of sand. The wind was had picked up and erased his brother’s footprints. There was no sign of Knives in sight. Having no other choice, Vash tried to sense his brother. He really hadn’t been expecting to feel him, but he still felt disappointment when he got no results. What Vash had in terms of power, Knives made up for in terms of skill. Vash would not be able to find his brother that way until Knives wanted to be found. Vash sat back on his heels. He needed to make a decision. Should he continue his pursuit of Knives or go home until Knives wanted to be found? If he continued his pursuit, he was almost doomed to failure. He had no clues as to where his brother might be. He would be merely wandering around in the desert and he was ill-equipped to do that beyond the next few days. Home was definitely the more appealing option. He didn’t know when he equated the word with the insurance girls, but he had. And he promised Meryl that he would try to come back. Yet, it would leave Knives out here, allowing his brother to plot out his next nefarious plan. Knives’ hatred for mankind still festered. Vash didn’t want to think of what horrors he could still be capable of. Vash felt his stomach tightened. Knives now knew about the girls and that Vash cared for them. They would be a perfect target for his brother. Once again, Vash realized that he was the one who had put the girls in danger. He rose to his feet as his resolve firmed. He made his decision. The wind swirled sand around him as he resumed walking.


Part VIII: Home Back