What Happens Next?! #3 Entries!

I can't tell you all how excited I get when I check my email and I see an email with a What Happens Next piece. I have so much reading your stories and it helps keep my imagination going for future O'Neal stories :D I think you guys actually write my characters better than I do!

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

#3

ENTRY #1 

The first entry I received came from Kaitlyn K.! I love this story! You wrote Danielle really well :) You guys are really making me feel guilty about not writing more about the brothers. Apparently you guys love the brothers a lot!!

        Cassandra stumbled into the cabin.  "Everyone! Come quick!"
        "What's going on?" Elsie asked.
        "Just come see!"  Cassandra rushed back outside, leaving her sisters in a state of consternation.
        “What in the world is she up to now?”  Danielle muttered.  She, along with Elsie, Faith, Nadia, Lillian and Paul, ran out of the house after Cassandra.  What they saw made everyone’s eyes widen.
        “Who—who’s that?”  Lillian asked with shock, referring to the limp body hung across the saddle of a large bay horse.
        “It’s Albert,” Cassandra whispered, tears gathering in her eyes.  “Belle and I were out hanging laundry, when his horse came wandering into the yard.”  Her tears spilled over.  “He’s been shot; and it doesn’t look good.”
        Lillian quickly composed herself and took charge.  “Belle, you and Paul bring him into the house.  Cassandra, come help me put some blankets on the sofa.  Faith and Elsie, take care of Albert’s horse.  And Danielle, go fetch the doctor!”  And with that she rushed back inside, Cassandra in tow.

        Danielle rushed off to town, and a very dazed and pale Belle mechanically did what Lillian had instructed her.  Then Faith and Elsie hurriedly led Albert’s horse to the barn, unsaddled him, and brushed him down, eager to get back inside to see Albert.
        Once inside, the first words out of Faith’s mouth were, “How is he?”
        Belle looked up from where she was sitting by Albert’s bed and shook her head.  “It doesn’t look good.  He’s lost a lot of blood, and who knows how long that bullet has been in there.”
        Lillian pursed her lips.  “The doctor will be here soon.  If not...well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
        They waited and waited, until finally the sound of hoofbeats drew everyone to the windows.
        “It’s Danielle!” Elsie exclaimed.  But she didn’t say what everyone was thinking: Where’s the doctor?
        Danielle ran inside, the look on her face confirming everyone’s worst fear.
        “Doctor Edward is out of town and won’t be back until tomorrow!”  She exclaimed.
        Lillian’s forehead creased.  “We don’t have until tomorrow.”  She thought for a moment, then said, “Danielle, go start some water boiling.  It looks like we have some surgery to do.”

***


       Albert opened his eyes and slowly turned his head to see a familiar figure asleep in the chair beside him.  “Danni?”
        Danielle awoke with a start, saw that Albert was awake, and her eyes widened.

        “Albert!  You’re awake!  Oh, I’m so glad; we were afraid that you... might not make it.”  She finished her sentence quietly.
        “How long have I been lying here?”  Albert asked.
        “Yesterday; or two days ago, depending on what time of the night it is.  How did you get shot, anyway?”
        Albert sighed and closed his eyes.  “It’s a long story.  I left Gideon, Isaac and Kenny and went to Fairburn to ask around about my sisters, and was told where you were.  But before I came out to see you, I decided to go to the saloon. I was playing a poker game in the saloon when a man accused me of cheating.
        “It was his word against mine, and everyone sided with him.  I denied the accusation, of course, but that only made him more angry.  He finally shot me.  I made it to my horse, and headed out here, as I had heard that the doctor is out of town.”  Albert suddenly became alert.  “Speaking of doctor, how did you get my bullet out when he’s gone?”
        Danielle stared down at her lap.  “Ma—”
        “Wait, who’s Ma?”  Albert demanded.
        “She’s Lillian... our new step-mother.”
        Albert frowned.  So, they had forgotten about Alice already.  “Anyway, what about this Lillian?”
        Danielle swallowed at the look on Albert’s face.  “She tried get the bullet out, but I suppose everyone has their weaknesses.  And Belle... well, you know how she can’t stand the sight of blood; and Cassandra isn’t any better.  And Pa—our step-father, Paul—didn’t have a steady enough hand.  So...” she shrugged.  “I dug the bullet out.  And you sure said some mean things while I was doing it.”
        Albert blinked.  He had always known that Danielle was tough, but he hadn’t realized that she was capable of this.  “Well,” he began awkwardly, “Thank you.”
        Danielle gave him a small smile then suddenly sat bolt upright.  “Oh!  Here, you’ve told your whole story to me, and the others don’t even know you’re awake!  I’d better go wake them up!”  And with that she shot out of her chair and up the loft.
        Albert chuckled.  Danielle hasn’t changed a bit, he thought to himself.  It’s good to see her again.

*Also, quick side note. Kaitlyn mentioned to me how she wrote that Lillian couldn't handle taking the bullet out of Albert, and the pictures I use for Lillian are of Dr. Mike, the fearless, brave, and tough woman doctor from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. Kind of amusing the way she wrote her piece :)

ENTRY #2 

The second entry I received came from Blessing Counter! I’m so glad you had the opportunity to write a story! Great story!! (cliffhanger included lol) :D

Cassandra stumbled into the cabin.

   “Everyone! Come quick!”

   “What's going on?” Elsie asked.

   “Just come see!”

   The three girls rushed outside and found themselves confronted by a large brown horse grazing in the front yard. He was wearing a saddle, but there was no rider in sight. 

   “Oh, he’s so beautiful!” Danielle went up to him and stroked his nose. “Hey boy, what are you up to?” she crooned gently to him. “Elsie, could you get some oats? He looks awfully hungry!” 

   Elsie willingly ran into the barn to search for the desired item. As they were waiting, Cassandra started taking off the saddle. Danielle ran her fingers lightly through the horse’s thick matted mane, then pulled her hand away in shock. “Cassandra.” 

   Her sister came up to her, a worried frown creasing her brow when she saw the look on her sister’s face. “What is it, Danielle?” 

   She held out her hand. It was covered in blood. “He’s hurt bad, Cassandra!” 

   Elsie came back out with a large bucket of oats. “What—”, she started then gasped at sight of Danielle’s hand. She covered her mouth with her hands and the bucket of oats fell to the ground. 

   The horse’s ears pricked up and he looked eagerly at the oats. He stepped forward and started eating greedily. The girls stared down at him, both concerned and confused. 

   “Well, he certainly hasn’t eaten for a while,” Danielle finally commented. 

   “Yes, but for how long?” Cassandra wondered. “And where is his rider?”

   “And how did he get hurt?” Elsie added. “He’s bleeding pretty bad.” 

   Danielle pushed away the long mane from the horse’s body. Four narrow gashes, oozing blood, stretched from his neck to his withers. 

   “Oh dear,” Cassandra exclaimed with pity. “The poor thing!” 

   “Looks like he got attacked by a wolf,” Danielle said grimly. “Let’s get him cleaned up. We don’t know how long it’s been since he got hurt and I don’t want the wounds to get infected.” 

   “Right,” Cassandra and Elsie agreed. 

   “I’m going into the house to boil some hot water,” Cassandra turned and hurried into the cabin. 

   “I’ll take off his saddle,” Elsie reached for the girth strap and began loosening it. As soon as the saddle was off, she carried it to a table nearby. 

   Danielle had just started to brush the injured horse when Elsie came to her with a large piece of yellow paper. 

   “You need to see this,” Elsie thrust the paper at her. “I found it in the saddlebag and I - I think it’s important.” 

   Danielle questioningly took the paper and looked at it. 

   “Oh no.” 

ENTRY #3 The third entry I received came from Faith P! I’m glad you entered and I loved reading your story! It was such a great idea and I loved the ending :D

  Cassandra stumbled into the cabin. "Everyone! Come quick!" 

  "What's going on?" Elsie asked. 

  "Just come see!" 

  Cassandra and Danielle, who had followed her inside, raced back out the door of the O'Neal's cabin. Belle sighed and set aside the vegetables she was chopping for supper. As she followed her multitude of sisters out of the kitchen, she wondered what had caught Cassandra's fancy and gotten her and Danielle into such a tizzy. She voiced her thoughts to Faith. 

  "I wonder what they want us for," Belle muttered. 

  Faith exchanged a quick, almost imperceptible, glance with Elsie before offering a shrug to her eldest sister. "You never know around here." 

  Belle didn't answer as she stepped out onto the porch behind the twins. Suddenly Cassandra was beside her, taking her hand and pulling her through the crowd. 

  "What's going on?" Belle demanded. 

  "You'll see." Cassandra's eyes danced mischievously. "Now cover your eyes." 

  Beyond confused, Belle did as she was told and allowed her sister to led her forward. 

  "Okay, you can look now," Cassandra soon whispered. 

  Belle removed her hands from her eyes and gasped at the sight she beheld. Their yard was full of people – friends, neighbors, townspeople – all wearing their best and bearing food and well-wishes. Garlands of flowers and paper chains had already been strung through the trees. Several tables were set up around the perimeter of the yard, leaving the middle open, for dancing Belle happily realized. 

  "Happy birthday!!!" Everyone gave cheer. 

  "Oh my..." Belle felt tears coming into her eyes. Everyone had gone to so much trouble...for her.

  Cassandra's tight grip on her arm brought her back to reality. "Come on, Belle!" She dragged her back towards the house. "Put on your best dress and I'm going to fix your hair!" 

  Belle smiled as she followed Cassandra inside. All the other sisters tagged along behind them. 

  When she stepped into their room, Belle was met with another surprise. The most beautiful dress she'd ever seen, made of a deep cranberry red with a full skirt and elegant lace trimming, was lying on her bed. 

  "What's this?" she managed to choke out, too overcome to form a decent sentence. 

  "It's for you!" Elsie exclaimed. "We all helped, but Lillian did most of it." 

  Belle turned to find her stepmother standing in the doorway. She ran to hug her. "Thank you, Lillian." 

  "You're welcome," Lillian smiled. "You deserve it." She returned to their guests, leaving the sisters alone to help get Belle ready. 

  In record timing the sisters had Belle sitting in front of the small vanity, adorned in the new dress, while Cassandra quickly fixed up her hair. 

  "Caleb won't know what to say!" Danielle exclaimed, a gleam in her eye. 

  Belle froze. Caleb is here? How could she not have noticed him in the crowd? 

  Her sisters went on, unbeknownst to her realization. 

  "If he's up in a tree hanging a strand of garland, he'll fall out when he sees you," Faith insisted. 

  "Oh, stop it." Belle blushed, growing ever more anxious to see Caleb. 

******

  Moments later Belle was sweeping through the doorway, feeling like a princess. She didn't have to comb the crowd for Caleb, he was waiting below the porch. Waiting for her... He turned when she reappeared. 

  He smiled as he gazed up at her. "Hello, Belle." 

  "Hello, Caleb." She gathered her skirts and glided down the stairs from the porch to the yard. 

  Caleb walked over gave her a most gentlemanly bow. "May I have this dance, Miss Hansen?" he asked, offering her his arm. 

  "You may, Mr. Carter." Belle smiled, placing her hand in the crook of his arm. 

  He led her across the yard to the cleared center as folks begin to play their various instruments. Belle felt as if she were floating on clouds, never to return to earth. Caleb placed his arm around her waist and took her hand in his. Then, slowly at first and in time with the gentle music, they danced. 

  They could've danced for hours, yet it seems as if it were only mere moments, when Caleb tenderly spoke her name. 

  "Belle, I..." 

  She gazed up into his eyes. "Yes, Caleb?" 

  He swallowed and started over. "I love you, Belle Hansen." 

  Belle couldn't help but smile. "I love you too, Caleb." 

  He grinned and she leaned into his shoulder, content to stay there forever. Caleb's love was the best birthday gift she could ask for.