Dropping In

by Donna and Ev

    "Help! I can't hang on!" screamed Bruno as he clung to the vines that trailed off the trellis for dear life.  He was deathly afraid of heights, and the only reason he had even attempted to cross was that the police were right behind them.

    Vincent sighed with frustration.  He was across, the dogs were across, and even their boss was across.  Bruno could be a royal pain sometimes.  If he hadn't looked down and scared himself, he wouldn't be in trouble.  He sighed and took off his jacket.  It was a terrible shame to ruin it, it was
Armani, but he didn't have a rope.  He got a firm hold on it and held the other end out to Bruno.  "Take hold of this!" 

    Bruno made a desperate grab for the coat, but as he did, he lost his hold on the vines and swung violently away from the trellis, screaming and kicking.  That was all it took to pull Vincent off balance, and the next thing he knew, they were both falling head over heels to the street below! 

    The few moments of stark terror ended quickly.  Somehow, instead of landing on the unforgiving concrete far below, they landed in a field.  Vincent landed first, feeling an instant pain in his lower back from a rock hidden in the grass, then Bruno fell on top of him.  That was the last he remembered for a while. 

    The next thing he knew, he woke up in the back of a wagon, its rocking motion sending waves of pain through his side and back. "Vincent, mon dieu! You frightened me half to death!" Bruno said.

    The motion of the wagon was making his head swim.  Or was that from the pain?  He opened his eyes, blinking in the sun that seemed to be way too bright and shining right at him.  "What happened?  I feel like I was hit by a truck."

    "We fell," Bruno reminded him, fidgeting with Vincent's coat, which was covering his chest.  "These farmers were plowing near where we landed and offered to take you to the clinic." Vincent tried to sit up and see who was driving the wagon, but the pain in his rib cage made him almost pass out again.

    Moaning, Vincent laid back again and tried to arrange himself so his ribs wouldn't hurt so much.  That didn't seem to be possible.  Then he realized what Bruno had said.  "Farmers?"  Experimentally, he turned his head.  This was a farm wagon.  "Where are we?  There's nothing like this in Paris!" 

    "I do not know!" Bruno sighed.  "They do not speak French, just German and a little English.  But this does not look like any place that I have ever seen!"

    "What the hell is going on? "  Vincent tried to sit up again, slower this time.  It was no good.  Too much pain.  He carefully laid back down again.  "Are there any signs?  What can you see?" 

      "Farms!  And more farms!" moaned Bruno.  "Wait! There is a sign! It says... it says Edan!"

     "Edan?"  Vincent considered.  Except for the Bible, he had never heard of such a place, and if it did exist, there was no way HE would wind up there.  That was for sure.  "How did we get here?  We should have died in that fall."  This frustration was making him hurt worse.

    "Be still," a man's voice said from the front of the wagon. "We are almost there." 

    Bruno looked up, his mouth open in amazement.  "It is like one of those towns in the western movies!  There are horses everywhere.  No cars!"

    The wagon pulled up in front of the clinic, and one of the Amish brothers jumped off, running inside to fetch a doctor.

    Vincent closed his eyes and growled through clenched teeth.  "This is all your fault. You just had to look down and scare yourself and fall."  He tried to take a deep breath to calm down, but that made his ribs hurt worse again. 

    He laid as still as he could for a minute and it lessened a little.  "What do you see now?" 

    "They are bringing out a stretcher," he said.  "Don't worry.  You will be alright!"

    "And as soon as I am, you won't be."  Vincent wondered how they were going to get him on a stretcher without hurting him worse.  He hated being hurt!  With any luck, maybe he would pass out again and not hurt for a while. He forgot himself and sighed, setting off the pain in his ribs again. 

    As he was lifted up onto the stretcher, the pain hit him hard.  "MERDE!" he screamed before blessed darkness overcame him again.

    When he woke, Vincent found himself in a sun lit room, lying on a comfortable feather bed.  His chest was wrapped tightly in bandages, making it a little easier to bear. "Welcome to Edan," a soft, feminine voice said. "My name is Sarah Jo."  Turning his head, he saw a pretty red-headed nurse. A pretty, very pregnant nurse! 

    His head was spinning a little and so was the room.  Whatever medicine had been given to him, it seemed to be helping the pain very well.  He didn't say anything at first.  He experimented to see if he could breathe without all that pain.  It was too much effort to say much in English.  He used the
first word that came to mind.  "Hi."  That didn't make his ribs hurt.  Good. "Est-ce que je puis avoir une cigarette?" 

    "No," she told him in English. "This is a hospital. No cigarettes allowed."

     One of the doctors came in, and repeated what she had said in French.  "I'm Dr. Helm," he told Vincent.  "You have some badly broken ribs. One of them actually pierced your skin.  Luckily, it didn't go into your lung.  We want you to stay here for a few days until you are feeling well
enough to get up."

    If he could move, he would have punched something, preferably Bruno. Finally, he could ask some questions!  He asked the doctor about his back and where they were, where Bruno was, everything he had the energy to ask at the moment.

    But the doctor just shook his head and told him that he needed to calm down. "All will be explained to you," he promised, "but for now, you need to rest." He nodded to Sarah Jo, who walked up to Vincent's side, and before he could even squawk out a protest, gave him an injection.
       
    Luc was feeling good.  It had been a mild winter and the vineyard was looking very good.  He was working hard at all the spring chores and decided to give himself a day off and come in to town.  There were a few things he needed at the Mercantile and he could maybe get in a poker game or two.  He
whistled as he drove his cart.  It was a nice day and things were going well for him.  He was very pleased with himself.

    He left the horse and cart at the livery stable and took a walk to see what was new in town and decide where to have lunch.  Suddenly, he stopped and stared in surprise.  This couldn't be happening!  "Bruno?" 

     Bruno spun around so quick, he didn't pay any attention to where his feet went and he stepped right into a pile of horse manure. "Merde!" he yelled in disgust. "What are you doing here, Luc? There does not seem to be anything worth stealing here!"

    "I have been here since last fall.  I have a vineyard here.  I am not a thief any more.  Don't even say that.  Somebody will hear you."  Luc looked around and sighed with relief.  No one seemed to be around close enough to hear.  "What are you doing here?" 

     "We fell from a building," Bruno said with a shudder. "Vincent was hurt. He was laying so still on the ground, blood on his shirt.  Merde!  They cut his good shirt off him at the hospital.  He is going to kill me!  Please Luc, may I come and stay with you?"

    "Vincent is here too?"  Luc sighed.  "Merde!" he grumbled under his breath.  "When did you get here?  I didn't hear about you before."  He really didn't want them at his place.  Marty was just starting to trust him finally. This would ruin everything! 

     "Yes!  Didn't you hear me?  He is in the hospital.  I broke his ribs by falling on him.  Please, Luc," he pleaded. "I have no place to go!"

    Luc sighed.  Bruno had helped him out once when he needed it, so he felt obligated to help him.  "All right, but listen to me first.  You have to promise you will tell Marty nothing of the stealing from before.  She doesn't need to know that.  I don't want her to leave me again."  He frowned at
Bruno.  The man was a mess.  He hoped he wasn't making a mistake.  "Do you understand?" 

    "Marty?" Bruno said. "Sacre bleu! Luc, you have a woman now?  Yes, yes!  I will not tell her anything!"

    Luc sighed deeply.  He had a bad feeling about this, but now that he was committed, there was nothing else to do.  "First, you need something else to wear.  You stink!  You can't be looking like that when Marty sees you."  He told Bruno to clean off his shoes and led him into the Mercantile. 

    Once there, Bruno flirted shamelessly with Mercy and Portia, who both clucked over his misfortune like two mother hens.  A short time later, he came out of the dressing room wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and a denim jacket.  "Look at me, Luc!" he said proudly.  "I am a cowboy, yes?"

    Luc rolled his eyes and shook his head.  They took Bruno's old clothes and left them in the wagon, then went to the clinic to see how Vincent was doing.  Bruno didn't want to go in at first, but Luc dragged him in. 

    Luckily for Bruno, the sedative that the doctor had ordered given to Vincent was working well. He was sound asleep, one hand twitching on top of the blanket. "Your friend will be all right," Sarah Jo assured him.  "Luc, how is Marty doing?  Is she coming into town tomorrow so she can watch
Doireann again during choir practice?"

    Luc was mentally crossing his fingers, in hopes that no one would see how nervous he was about Vincent and Bruno.  "Of course!  She loves doing it." he smiled.  "If Vincent asks when he wakes up, tell him that Bruno will be staying with me for now."  He saw Bruno about to object and *accidentally*
stepped on his foot. 

    Sarah Jo shushed him, and ushered them both out. "He needs to rest. Luc, why don't you take your friend to the Hotel for a bite to eat?"

    Luc smiled and thanked her.  "We will look in on him tomorrow, then."  He liked Sarah Jo.  She was always nice to him.  "You get some rest, too!"  He winked at her as he led Bruno down the steps. 

    "Do not flirt with that one," he told Bruno as they left. "She has a husband.  A very tall, very dangerous, husband.  One with hands this big!" he spread his fingers out.  "All the better to choke silly little Frenchmen like yourself!"  Bruno swallowed hard and looked around, wondering if this giant
was going to appear out of nowhere.

     But it was not Sarah Jo's husband that ended up scaring Bruno half out of his wits.  As they went into the Hotel for some lunch, Bruno made the mistake of trying his boyish charm on Lupe.  She growled at him, and Bruno levitated over the table and out of Lupe's way.

    Luc grinned.  "You don't flirt with that one either.  I didn't have time to warn you.  She will take care of you herself.  Or if not, there is that boy with the long hair who is clearing the tables, or her man.  I don't see him here now."  Luc chuckled as Bruno looked around him in fear.  "You are not in Paris anymore." 

    Bruno lowered his head to the table, moaning pitifully.