"You have to help us, Constable! Help them please! They're in the mines!" Thomas managed to pick those words out of the cacophony of frantic voices in the mob of at least a dozen women and men all on the blink of hysterics, and soon they'd learn warrantably so. "We told them not to play in the mines, but they didn't listen!"
"Alright, Everyone! Everyone! Silence!" Thomas raised his voice over the muddled up voices, prompting everyone to silence their chatter. "Now one at a time, tell me exactly what's going on." he asked with a calm tone.
"Our boys went playing in the mines, and Andy came back to tell us they're trapped inside." One of the mothers fought back tears as Thomas felt his heart sink within his chest. Andy was the Gilbert family's young son, only about ten or eleven years of age; his friends were all around his age and known all too well for being mischievous and getting themselves into heaps of trouble. They'd prank people in town and do things that were often dangerous or ill advised; they were an utter headache for their parents, but most in town were good sports about them. They were children after all.
How many boys are still in the mine?" Asked Thomas, getting a general assessment of the situation.
"Five, Constable" George Gilbert, Andy's father, chimed in. "Andy went with the other boys to the mines and he was afraid to go deeper so he was standing a ways away form the rest of the group when suddenly a beam fell between along with some boulders that separated them. He came running all the way here to tell us and now we're here."
"Alright, everyone, listen very carefully." Thomas spoke authoritatively this time addressing the group as he put on a brave face in event of an emergency; precisely as he'd been trained to do. "We need to act fast to rescue those boys out of there. I'll need a few strong men who know the mine to help with the rescue and to help clear the rubble. Gather outside the entrance tunnel to the mines and I'll be there right behind you all to give further instructions. We're going to get them out of there and safe and sound, but I'll need help." He said turning towards Henry as the people assembled at the door dispersed away with haste at Thomas' direction. "Henry." Henry's eyes shot up to meet Thomas', his heart clenching deep within his chest as he heard Thomas call him 'Henry' rather than 'Harry' for the first time in months. "I don't know what this rescue operation will look like, but you'll need to prepare to treat the boys should there be casualties."
"Alright, I'll see to that." Henry pursed his lips as he watched Thomas turn around to take his leave. "Tom I-I just want to s-" Henry began, only to be cut off by Thomas raising his palm to stop him.
"Henry... Now... really isn't the time to talk." Thomas said softly over his shoulder, perhaps the mot gut wrenching bit being that he didn't even look Henry in the eyes. "I should really be off, I'll see you in a bit." he gave Henry a curt nod and with that he set off, leaving Henry standing there feeling more alone than ever, both physically and emotionally.
Thomas made haste towards the stables, strapping on the leather saddle over Trooper and mounting him to ride off towards the outskirts of town to the mines, all the while Henry rushed back towards the clinic to gather a house-call bag together, packed full with anything he felt he might need; wound dressing material such as gauze, bandages, plasters, emergency surgical kits, iodine tinctures, and morphine for pain.
Henry felt his lip quivering as he gathered supplies, his breath growing more frequent and hitching in the back of his throat as he fumbled bottle after bottle trying to hide how he felt inside. He slammed one of the gauzes onto the table and simply took a minute to himself, taking a deep breath in and letting it out to keep himself from crying; for only hours ago he felt his life was perfect with the person he loves. But now the image burnt into his mind is the way Thomas' eyes looked at him; pained, hurt, injured, teeming with emotion yet at the same time eerily and inexplicably empty. Empty of the love and adoration they once carried.
But Henry knew all that would have to wait, as he had more pressing matters to tend to; matters of great urgency. Henry hitched up his horse with his bag and rode out through Main street and out towards the coal mines in the outskirts of town. He rode past homes filled with people chattering and scurrying about, doors opening and people making haste to help their fellow townspeople in an emergency; in a way he felt almost refreshed at this sense of camaraderie.
He picked up the pace as he approached towards where the mouth of the tunnel was that led down into the mines; but what usually was a relatively low traffic area now was teeming with people all swarming around with looks of genuine concern as clearly news had travelled to the whole of Fir Creek that five young boys were trapped in the tunnels.
Henry dismounted his horse, tying the lead onto a nearby gatepost and unfastening his doctor's bag off of the side of his saddle before sprinting towards the group as fast as he could; long gone were the days that he'd hear his family's voices in his head telling him that 'running was terribly common'. Gone were the days he'd lived under the oppressive rule of his stuffy aristocratic upbringing.
He stopped dead in his tracks halfway through as he stood in the void utterly alone as he stood yards away from the congregants of worried in the distance ahead and an emptiness behind him that led to the gate of the mine complex. And in that moment he realised England was his home... but deep in his heart he knew he'd never be at home again whilst there; for deep in his soul he knew he'd changed, changed from the dashing young Lord Henry Aldringham whose life of privilege, confidence, and charm formed a safety blanket around him. Fir Creek wasn't just his home from home... It felt like it was home.
Shutting his eyelids he took a brief moment to pause and simply process his muddled thoughts; he found sometimes it was best to do so before treating a patient for proper quality patient care required clarity of mind. He asked himself what is home? And in his mind as the images flashed before him he saw not a place, nor a house. but people. He saw flashes of memories with his family, his Mama, his Papa, his siblings; but intertwined with those images he saw cherished memories with Alfie and Danny, and Thomas. Falling sleep in Thomas' arms, the way his heart would flutter whenever he'd see Thomas' dimples, that swoon-worthy cheeky smirk, the look of pure admiration in his eyes.
"God in heaven." Henry gasped under his breath, blinking himself back into the present as he felt a spark of sorts go off in his head; he needed to tell Thomas the truth, but knowing the gravity of the situation unfolding he knew that'd have to wait a while. He jogged up with urgency to join the rest of the group in the distance, stopping as he found himself standing on the outer edge of the congregation between Emily and Mary, whom he gave a silent and polite node of the head before turning his attention forward towards the young red serge clad Mountie addressing the group.
"So here's what's going to happen." Henry listened in as Thomas addressed the group who stood silently and hung onto his every word. "I'm taking ten men who work for the mining company down with me into the mines. The second string will standby and if after twenty minutes we've failed to return, the second string of men will come in to check on us."
"Why do we need a second string?!" A voice sounded from the crowd.
"Purely for precautionary purposes, there's no need to worry." Thomas assured the man calmly, though Henry knew all too well why; there was the possibility of things going wrong whilst deep within the mines, and especially considering this one was known to have had a recent shaft collapse it was warranted to be all the more cautious. "We're in a race against the clock, ladies and gentlemen. Every second matters. WE thank you for your support and concern but as I've spoken with Mr Finsbury, we're confident that we'll have those boys out safe and sound before we know it." The confident young Constable gave his final word to the citizens before turning away from the crowd to have a short private chat with Mr Finsbury who was the general manager of the Fir Creek Mining Company.
"Excuse me, sorry, if I could just get through, thank you, terribly sorry, excuse me, sorry." Henry muttered as he manoeuvred his way through the crowd as hastily as he could whilst still being polite. "Constable! A word?" Henry called out towards Thomas, watching as the dashing young Mountie craned his neck to look at him; the look of concertedness briefly wavering as a tinge of disappointment flashed in his deep brown eyes making Henry's heart clench deep within his chest.
"Yes, Doctor?" Thomas said curtly as Henry jogged up briskly and partially out of breath.
"I erm... I wanted to say..." Stammered Henry with anxious breaths as ran his hand anxiously through his lightly tousled dark hair.
"Henry, I don't have time." Thomas lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper.
"I erm... I wanted to say to... Be careful in there." Henry locked eyes with Thomas' amber brown gaze, watching as them soften noticeably. "Please..." His voice cracked ever so slightly as he knew this wasn't any simple rescue operation; it was a mine that clearly from the shaft caving in showed signs of questionable structural integrity.
"Harry I..." Thomas stepped forward, raising his hand out of pure habit towards Henry's cheek though thankfully stopping it midway as he realised they were very much in a public setting. "...I will."
He tensed his jaw before taking his leave from Henry; leaving the wretched raven haired lad to simply watch him as he left to take the first group of men into the tunnel, but he had so much he wished he could tell Henry. He wished he could tell him he loved him; but from their conversation earlier it was clear in his mind that Henry didn't feel the same way he did, otherwise he wouldn't've been so ready to simply leave him to go back to England.
"Alright boys, let's do this." Thomas instructed the group of five of the mine workers who were going to help with the rescue operation, before bending down to pick up a tin birdcage on the floor with a beautiful yellow canary inside that fluttered and chirped in its tiny enclosure. And with that he set off with the other men in tow towards the tunnel leading down into the mine shafts.
He took in a deep breath as they stepped inside, with each step, their booths crunching against the lightly moist gravel beneath; he always hated mines, he admired his father for working in one. The disinherited son of a Duke who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, willing to do hard labour to provide for his family. But mostly he found them excruciatingly claustrophobia inducing with their dark maze of tunnels and dim lit paths.
It wasn't long before the remnants of light from the outside grew more and more scarce with merely the electric lights lining the path providing dim illumination. Yet the crunching of gravel behind him coming from the work boots of the other men who followed, paired with the soft chirping and fluttering of the little canary in the cage helped to settle Thomas' anxiety and pounding heart, though only to an extent; at the very least he felt he wasn't alone.
For though the dashing Constable Wilson put on a brave face to keep hopes up in town, he was absolutely terrified deep inside; he was scared of finding the boys harmed or injured or worse. He was terrified of having to break the news of such calamity to the parents whose lives would change instantaneously; horrified of what would happen should anything come of the rescue squad he'd put together. As well, he couldn't help but be selfish in that moment and fear that if something were to happen to him, it'd change the lives of his little family; his boys would lose their father, and he'd leave this earth without telling Henry just how much he loved him.
Thomas chuckled humourlessly at how silly he'd been; here he was convinced he was in love with Henry when he'd only seen those beautiful blue eyes that fateful day in France. He convinced himself he was being terribly daft, for he couldn't love someone he neither knew truly nor whose face he'd hadn't properly seen, sheathed by a cotton face mask. But then that feeling of deep infatuation resurrected itself that day at Calgary Railway station when he saw Henry and knew within his heart who he was, and that infatuation turned day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute... into pure, unadulterated, head-over-heels, love.
"Constable, there ahead!" Thomas stopped dead in his tracks as one of the men jolted him out of deep thought; blinking his eyes into focus to see what looked like a wall of fallen boulders and rubble piled high towards the wooden scaffolding. "There's the collapsed mine shaft." Thomas stalked up towards the mound of rubble and rock debris, glancing it up and down with a focused look about his scrutinising brown eyes as he contemplated exactly how to go about tacking this pitfall.
"Hello!" Thomas called out towards the wall of boulders, hoping in vain to hear some sign of life heralding from the other side. "Hello, boys! It's Constable Wilson! Can you hear me?! Yell if you can hear me!" He tried again only to be met with yet more silence. "We're here to rescue you, let us know that a you're there and if anyone is hurt!" Thomas kept very silent to hear for any sign of life whatsoever on the other side of the rubble, so much so that he could only hear his own heart beating louder than he'd ever heard before.
Glancing behind him he caught glimpse of the expressions on the other men's faces who all mirrored his horror; each with faces flushed as pale as a sheet. They discussed their options for clearing out the debris, knowing that they couldn't blow the path clear with explosives since they couldn't confirm whether or not the boys were on the other side; not to mention structural integrity the shaft's stability was questionable.
Acting with haste and calculation they opted to clear away part of the rocks as best they could on one side; leaving enough room for a few men to go in and attempt to find the boys and pass them through to safety. Thus they formed an assembly line to hack away at as much of the rubble as though humanly could; one by one clearing out rocks that varied in size from small to large, some even requiring two men to carry them together out of the way.
The men felt a sense of relief as they slowly but surely began to work away to the other side of the wall and before long they had a clear view into the other side. Thomas hurried to stuff his hand into his trouser pocket, fishing out a torch and hastily shining it in through the hole to have a good look-round.
An initial, short lived sensation of reassurance washed over him as he caught glimpse of the boys inside, all appearing to be lounging on the cold hard ground and reacting in some way or form as he shined the light on each of their faces; clear signs of consciousness. But that relief was soon eclipsed by dread as he noticed something to be quite off about them. They seemed different from the kids Thomas knew wreaking havoc around Fir Creek; they were sluggish, a bit dazed in the eyes and just overall less animated than before. Something clearly was awry."We need to pick up the pace, we might have less time than we anticipated." Thomas gave the order and with that they hastened the deed of clearing out an opening in the fallen debris, until finally there was enough of an entrance for Thomas to manoeuvre through; taking the canary cage with him for good measure, for if his suspicious were right they needed to act immediately.
Meanwhile, on the outside of the mines, tensions remained high amongst the townspeople as they assembled together in solidarity; a group holding a vigil by candlelight as the sun began to set, praying for for everyone in the mines to make it out safe and sound. Henry, with the help of Mary and Emily set out blankets on the grass to treat any casualties they might encounter; he'd have ideally wanted cots, but desperate times called for desperate measures so they made due with what they had access to.
"Are you alright, doctor?" Emily sat down in the grass next to Henry, who hugged his knees into his body as he sat staring blankly towards the entrance to the mines; a safe distance away for good measure.
"Yes." Henry managed to force a soft smile to hide his inner anxiousness. "Thank you for helping, by the way. It's jolly kind of you."
"Of course, what are neighbours for?" Emily said matter-of factly with a warm beam. "Here in Fir Creek we're all like one big family; we celebrate together in times of happiness and rally together to support one another when times are tough. One of the reasons I love it here."
"It's admirable really, the camaraderie, the ability to rely on others and seek help when required." Henry replied blankly, though to Emily it was incredibly evident that his mind was clearly far away. "I... Received a telegram earlier today telling me it's time for me to go back to England..."
"Oh... I see..." A brief look of concern washed over Emily's face as she contemplated whether or not to verbalise what was going through her head. She turned her gaze back towards Henry, noting that he looked considerably less pleased as one would expect one to look should they hear that they're returning home after months away. "Doctor, I know we're not terribly close, you and I. But if you'd like to talk about something, I'd be more than obliged to listen." She offered gently with an approachable smile. "You'll find I'm a very good listener."
"I suppose there's no harm to it..." Sighed Henry defeatedly from the emotional turmoil he'd endured in the past few hours alone. "I wish to go home, but at the same time I'm dreading it... I suppose it's because I've grown terribly fond of Fir Creek."
"Terribly fond of Fir Creek?" Emily cracked a cheeky smile. "Or terribly fond of somebody in particular." She whispered, glancing around to ensure nobody was within earshot; the light tinge of red permeating across Henry's cheek being the only answer she needed. "May I be frank with you, Doctor Dunmurry?" She asked, earning her a weary nod from the raven haired young doctor. "Thomas and I have known one another since we were in diapers; we were the best of friends and believe it or not, I even had a crush on him. For obvious reasons, we both know that wasn't meant to be..." Henry chuckled half-heartedly at that, though the smile that Emily had on her face slowly faded as her eyes seemed lost as they reminisced to the past.
"Please don't think I'm saying this to you in hopes of swaying your decision in any one way." Emily explained genuinely. "Thomas cares for you greatly, and from what I've seen, you care for him just as much..." She placed a supportive hand on Henry's shoulder. "Now all you have to do is ask yourself, can you bear the thought of living halfway across the world from Thomas forever? And once you've got an answer to that question, you'll have the answer to everything weighing down your heart."
No. Henry answered himself in his own head, without so much as a single iota of hesitation; for with every fibre of his being, Henry knew he couldn't leave this town. He felt this itching need deep within his soul to tell Thomas how he felt; tell him how much he loves him with all his heart, tell him that he'd sign up to spend the rest of his life with Henry whether or not it was terribly unconventional to do so... But alas, that would have to wait.