Thunder from the Sea (15 page)

April didn't seem big. In fact she looked right tiny to Tom.

“Margaret Rideout did the proper thing, sendin' you all over here,” Dr. Sullivan said.

“How long will Fiona have to stay here?”

“She needs time to get stronger, lad.” Dr. Sullivan went to the kitchen dresser and brought out a dish of ginger snaps that he offered to Tom. “I hear tell that Enoch is on a hunt. He'll be stunned as an owl when he meets his new little girl!”

Tom helped himself to a cookie. “He won't be back for another week or two. I don't know where I can stay in the meanwhiles. Or where Fiona and the baby can stay once she's better. We can't go back to the island while the ice is breakin' up.”

“Do you know someone here in Chance-Along who'd take you in?”

“No, sir. And don't forget I have Thunder with me. I need to keep him out of sight in Chance-Along 'cause someone might steal him for Mr. Fowler's reward.”

“Aye. Don't worry 'bout a blessed thing,” said the doctor. “I know someone who'll be glad to help.”

Dawn was just creeping into the sky when Tom fell asleep again on the big chair in the parlor.

It was almost noon when Tom woke up. Some patients were sitting nearby, waiting to see the doctor. Tom was so embarrassed he wanted to hide under the quilt. Had he snored? His tongue was dry, and he wondered if his mouth had been open while these folks were watching him.

“Excuse me,” he muttered. One man chuckled as Tom got up and went to the kitchen. Thunder was whining by the door, so Tom let him out into the yard.

Dr. Sullivan had bandaged his sore paw, and Thunder limped a bit as he walked around, sniffing every unfamiliar tree. Tom stayed with him for a few minutes, then brought him inside again.
Mrs. Jenkins shook her head at the wet paw prints on her kitchen floor.

“I'll clean them up,” Tom offered. She handed him a rag. “I guess that dog has a right to leave tracks after bringin' Mrs. Murray over from the island through the storm.”

After Tom wiped the floor, Mrs. Jenkins made him fish ‘n' brewis with scrunchions—salt pork fried until it was crunchy and crisp. Tom glutched it down as if he'd never eaten a thing in his life.

Later he and Thunder peeked into Fionas room. The baby was crying, her tiny fists pounding the air, her small face red and crinkled. “Is she all right?” Tom asked.

“Bring her to me, Tom,” Fiona said.

Holding his breath, Tom lifted the wiggling baby and carried her across the room to Fiona. Fiona hoisted April over her shoulder and patted the baby's back until she burped.

“That was a loud burp for such a wee one,” Tom said with a laugh.

Thunder rested his chin on Fiona's bed. Fiona held the baby up to Thunder. “Here's our baby that you saved, you clever fellow.” Thunder
sniffed curiously at April, then wagged his tail.

Fiona cradled April in her arms and sang soft cheek music. “I dee diddily diddily dum, I dee diddily dide.” The baby gurgled, then gradually closed her eyes. “Good wee babe,” Fiona whispered. She turned to Tom and spoke softly. “Tom, Dr. Sullivan talked with me. There's a place for us to stay while we're here waitin' for Enoch to come back, or for the ice to go out—whichever comes first.”

“When shall I go?”

“Today. April and I will come next week when I'm better.” Fiona looked anxious. “The doctor will tell you all about it. These people want us, Tom. They want to help us, including Thunder. It will be all right. Please trust me and Doc Sullivan,” she pleaded.

Why was Fiona saying all this? Then Tom suddenly realized—they were moving in with the Bosworths!

a
t three o'clock in the afternoon, Bert and Ruby showed up at Dr. Sullivan's. Ruby carried a small package done up with pink ribbons.

“You're comin' home with us,” Bert said as soon as he saw Tom.

“Well, that's some invite!” Ruby exclaimed, poking Bert with her elbow. “You've got some things to say to Tom, so speak up! Meanwhile, I'm goin' to see Fiona and that baby.” She headed down the hall.

Bert took off his cap and shuffled his feet. “Guess we made a fine kettle of fish for you and the dog.”

“I'll go bail for that!” Tom replied.

“Me and Pa were as foolish as caplin.”

Tom smiled a little. Caplin were stupid fish that
just ran straight to shore and could often be caught by hand. “Yep. Foolish as caplin,” he agreed.

“Well, anyway, you might as well stay with us. We can hide Thunder while you're in town.”

Tom shrugged. “I guess I'll have to—at least until we can go back to the island.” He gave Bert a long look. “I've heard that a man from the States is coming here to get Thunder.”

“Maybe he won't show up,” Bert said. He waited, then sighed when Tom didn't respond. “How about us gettin' you a little crackie? Everyone loves crackies. They're only mongrels, but they're clever and cute, and small enough to hold in your lap! My uncle's dog is goin' to have puppies. He said he'd give you one.”

“I don't want a crackie. I only want Thunder.”

Ruby peeked out from Fiona's room and waved her hand to the boys. “Come see the baby.”

As they walked down the hall Bert said, “So what's the baby's name?”

“April.”

“April? Why did they name her that?”

“She was to be born in April.”

“Well, then, she should really be named March!”

Bert guffawed, trying to be funny. “March Murray.”

You really are as foolish as a caplin,
Tom wanted to say. But he bit his tongue.

Fiona was holding a lacy white dress and bonnet. “Tom, look what Ruby brought for April. Isn't it lovely?”

“It was Nancy's when she was a baby,” Ruby said. “She only wore it once, for her christening.”

“It's even more beautiful, knowing it was once Nancy's. Thank you.” Fiona looked up at Bert. “Come see our baby, Bert.”

Bert peered into the blanket at April. “She's real little, ain't she?”

“She's the image of Fiona,” Ruby said. “Just look at that golden hair.”

“Fiona,” Bert said abruptly, “Tom and Thunder are comin' to home with us.”

Fiona gave Tom a relieved smile. “Thank you.” Tom wasn't sure if she was thanking Bert or him.

The Bosworths were now living in a large apartment above Bert's uncles hardware store. It had three bedrooms and a bathroom. It seemed that they had received some money from the
government and from relief funds to help with their losses. Tom wondered if Enoch and Fiona could get some help too.

“I went to the Salvationists and found clothes that should fit you and Fiona,” Ruby said. “People from all over Newfoundland sent them to the outports that were destroyed.”

“It'll feel good to take a bath and change into clean clothes,” Tom said.

Bert took Tom and Thunder to the back porch and then down a flight of steps to the closed-in yard. “Thunder'll be safe here,” Bert said. “We'll bring 'im up to the porch at night.” Bert patted Thunder's back. “We're tryin' to rightify things, Thunder. We don't want you to be taken away from Tom.”

Tom was to sleep on a cot in Bert's room. Bert was proud to show off the electric lights. “See? Just pop the switch and there's light. Betcha never saw anythin' like this before.”

“Chance-Along sure is modern compared to Back o' the Moon,” Tom said. Bert sounded so proud, Tom didn't want to spoil things by telling Bert that they had electricity back at the mission. “Where's Nancy?” he asked.

“In school,” Bert answered. “I might be goin' to school someday.” He took a paper and pencil from a shelf. “Watch me write both my names.” Tom looked on as Bert slowly wrote in large letters: BERT BOSWORTH.

“That's right good, Bert.”

“Wanna see how I write
fish
now?” Again, Bert's fingers moved awkwardly with the pencil, but the letters were clear: FISH.

“Watch
this!
” This time Bert wrote: CODFISH.

“Pretty clever, eh? I figured that one out myself,” Bert said proudly.

“Where did you learn that?” Tom asked.

“Nancy helped a little. She's doin' good in school. Nancy's teacher said she was taught by a real good honker.”

“Honker?”

“You know—uh—tooter. That's you, Tom.”

“Oh, a tutor!” Tom said with a laugh. “I've never been called a honker or tooter in all my born days!”

a
week later Fiona was well enough to leave Dr. Sullivan's and move in with the Bosworths. Everyone was excited when they heard the news.

“I want to share my room with April,” Nancy whined. “Bert has Tom. I want April.”

“She's too little, Nance,” Ruby said. “She needs to be with her ma. You and I will share my room and Fiona and April will have your room.”

Nancy pouted for the rest of the morning.

“What'll we do when Pa comes home, and Enoch?” Bert asked.

“We'll figure it all out then,” Ruby answered. “I hear tell the ice is out in Rumble Reach.”

“When I was at Doc's earlier I could see clear across. There were white horses on the bay.” Tom
had been excited to see the deep water tipped with whitecaps instead of gray ice. “The only way home now is by boat,” said Tom. “I hope we can go back soon.” It had been hard to keep a dog the size of a small pony in a fenced-in yard, and Thunder was used to more freedom.

At noontime Dr. Sullivan arrived in his carriage with Fiona and April. “It was a bumpy ride, I'm afraid,” said Dr. Sullivan. “We're in mud season now.”

“April seemed to like it,” said Fiona. “She's fast asleep.”

Ruby took the baby, and Dr. Sullivan helped Fiona from the carriage.

“Thank you for all you've done, Doctor.” Fiona kissed the doctor's cheek and shook his hand.

“Good luck to all of you,” Dr. Sullivan said as he rode away.

Ruby helped Fiona get her things settled in Nancy's room. She had lined a wooden biscuit box with a soft blanket, as a bed for April. “Empty biscuit boxes are used for most everything,” she said to Fiona. “Whenever Amos sees a
new house he says ‘It's prob'ly made from biscuit boxes.'”

Ruby brought the box into the kitchen. “Now come along and have a bite.” Ruby placed the baby in the biscuit box next to Fiona, then set a huge platter of pork sandwiches and bowls of applesauce on the table.

Nancy sat on the floor, admiring the baby. “She's like a dolly. She's the prettiest baby I've ever seen in all my born days.”

They were just about to eat when Thunder barked excitedly from the porch. Suddenly the door burst open. Enoch and Amos stepped into the kitchen.

“We're back!” Amos yelled. “And thanks be to God, we had a good hunt!”

Enoch ran to Fiona. “Oh, thank the good Lord you're safe,” he said, kissing her. “I heard about your ordeal when we tied up in port.”

Fiona took April from the box. “Here's your little daughter, April,” she said tenderly.

Enoch held the baby gently. “She's a beauty,” Enoch whispered. “Like her mother.” Tom could see Enoch's eyes fill with tears. “I can't believe all
that's happened and I wasn't here….” He kissed April's golden hair.

“Where's Ken?” Bert asked. “Ain't he with you?”

“He got a ride home to Back o' the Moon. The harbors open now,” Amos replied.

Enoch turned to Tom. “From what I hear tell, you saved Fiona and the baby.” He held April with one arm and hugged Tom with the other. “Just sayin' thank you isn't enough, Tom. You're a true blessin' to us, son.”

“I promised I'd take care of Fiona.”

“And that you did, my boy.” Enoch kissed the baby's cheek. “I shouldn't even touch her,” he said, handing her back to Fiona. “I just got off the ship—dirty duds—a right slattery slob. But couldn't wait to see you … both of you.”

Both of you,
Enoch had said. That meant Fiona and April, not Tom.
When would he stop feeling left out?
Tom wondered.

“You men wash up and then come eat with us,” Ruby ordered. “Don't make shy, Enoch. This is your home as long as you're here.”

While they were eating, Fiona and Tom told
everyone about their journey from the island. As they described the blinding snow, the open water, and Fiona so close to having the baby, Enoch and Amos shook their heads in disbelief.

“Between us and all harm!” Amos said. “That's a wilder story than we've got to tell.”

“Tom and Thunder made it turn out well,” said Enoch, “with a darlin' little bonus, to boot.” He smiled at the baby in the box and took hold of Fiona's hand. “I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you.”

“I wished you were here too,” Fiona said, “but Tom and Thunder never gave up.”

“They took care o' things right well,” Amos agreed. “And no one tried to steal Thunder?”

“Not a one,” Ruby said. “I'm sure most folks here in Chance-Along know what a hero that dog is.”

“There's no one with a heart so hard that they'd take Thunder away from us,” Fiona said.

Amos sighed. “I was right ascared that he'd be stolen. That's why at Christmastime I went with me brother and his friends to warn ya.”

Enoch and Fiona gasped, and Tom's mouth dropped open.

“
You
were the mummers?” Fiona asked.

“I was the Fool. And a fool I truly was—causin' all that trouble about Thunder.” Amos looked down at his feet. “I … didn't have the nerve to come out and admit it, so I decided to warn ya from behind the Fool's mask.”

“So it was you all the time,” Enoch said. “Well, we did keep a close watch on Thunder 'cause of your warnin'.”