Kelly and Daniel could not see their daughter anywhere either. “Ruth?” Kelly yelled, her voice becoming shrill with panic. “Ruth Ann O’Connell!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Just then, Charlie spotted her. She was climbing on the railing a few hundred yards down the deck, just about to throw one chubby little leg over the side. Daniel was pointing and yelling, an indicator that he saw her, too, and he was slightly closer. All three took off running, pushing their way through the crowd. She was smiling, and her sweet baby voice echoed, “Horsey!” as if she were simply going to ride on the railing. However, just as she was about to put her bottom down on the handrail, she slipped. It was as if it was happening in slow motion. Charlie could see her expression change from delight to terror as she began to tumble over the side. As her father and newly-found uncle made a dive for her, the men careened into each other. Charlie heard a loud snap as Daniel hit the hard wooden boat deck, but Charlie was able to extend his left hand just enough to flip Ruth back toward the inside of the boat. With the change of direction, her momentum was slowed, and he scooped her up just in time to prevent the same sort of impact her daddy had suffered when he collided with the unforgiving promenade.
Even before he could sit her up straight, her mother was there. “Ruth Ann! Do you have any idea what almost happened? You almost fell overboard! That water is freezing! You would have died, Ruth! You would have died!”
Charlie put his arm around Kelly to steady her. “She’s all right,” he assured her, knowing that any parent would be beside him or herself in such a situation, yet Ruth was already bawling loudly, and Charlie could see no reason to further scare her. “Take a deep breath, Mummy,” he said as calmly as possible.
Kelly pulled her child to her chest, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she said to Charlie.
Before Charlie could reply, they realized that, though he had pulled himself to his feet, Daniel was not quite unscathed. His arm was hanging at an awkward position. “Daniel! Are you injured?” Charlie asked.
Once again, Kelly shrieked in horror. “Is it broken?” she asked, holding Ruth’s head so she couldn’t see.
“I’m afraid it might be,” Daniel said, gritting his teeth against the obvious pain.
“Let’s get you to the hospital,” Charlie recommended. “Kelly, why don’t you take Ruth back to your cabin? I’ll make sure that Daniel is well taken care of.”
“Are you certain?” she asked as Charlie was already leading her husband away.
“Quite,” he assured her. “We’ll have him fixed up in no time.”
Kelly couldn’t help but give Ruth a lecture as they made their way back to the cabin. She wasn’t sure precisely how much the child could hear since she continued to wail the entire time, but it somehow made her feel slightly better. Just as she reached the stairs, she literally ran into Jonathan making his way back up to the promenade.
“Is everything all right?” he asked, clearly wondering why Ruth was so upset. “Where’s Daniel?’
“Oh, Mr. Jonathan,” Kelly said, pausing at the top of the stairwell. “We’ve had quite the adventure. This one thought it would be a fine idea to treat the railin’ like a horsey, till she almost landed in the drink. And then my husband slipped in an attempt to save her and broke his arm.”
“Oh, my!” Jonathan exclaimed. “How bad is it?”
“Quite terrible, I’m afraid,” she replied, her lips drawn, thoughts of losing the job he had just been offered crossing her mind. “Mr. Ashton took him to the hospital to get it set, but…,” she felt tears stinging her eyes again, and it was all she could do to push them back.
“I’m sure Charlie will make sure he receives excellent care,” Jonathan assured her.
Kelly nodded. “I know. It’s just… Mr. Ashton offered Daniel a job, but now… now….”
Jonathan rested his hand on Kelly’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about that,” he said. “If Charlie says Daniel has a job, he has a job.”
“But what sort of work can a man do with only one arm?” she asked, unable to hold back the tears any longer.
“Plenty,” Jonathan smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll find things that he can do with only one arm. I’m sure your husband is a hard worker. Rest assured, the Ashton’s take care of their people.”
Kelly temporarily let go of Ruth with one hand so that she could swipe at her eyes, a smile finally lighting up her face as the truth of Jonathan’s words sank in. “Thank you,” she sniffled.
“It’ll be all right, I promise,” Jonathan said, patting her lightly on the shoulder. “And you, missy,” he said to Ruth, “best mind your mum better. That water is cold, and this boat is moving very quickly.”
Ruth’s cries had turned into sobs by now, and she choked out, “Yes, Mr. Jonaffin,” in her soft voice before reburying her head in her mother’s neck.
“What about your sister?” Jonathan asked nonchalantly. “Do you think she’d want to work for the Ashtons as well?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Kelly said, attempting to be more cautious this time. “Meg’s got a bit of money saved, but I don’t know precisely what her plans are.”
“Well, if she wants a job, I’m sure we can find her one.”
“I’ll be sure to let her know,” Kelly replied. “Again, thank you so much.”
“Are you sure you don’t need any help getting Ruth back to the cabin?” he asked.
“No, I’ve got her,” Kelly said, mustering a smile. “I may have to carry her like this for the rest of our journey to make sure she doesn’t break away again, but I’ve got her for certain as of now.”
Jonathan nodded and then continued on his way, glancing over his shoulder to make sure she cleared the stairs, which she did. Why didn’t Kelly correct me when I used the term sister? And why does Meg have money saved from a job she refuses to discuss? he wondered as he made his way to the hospital. There were just so many unusual pieces to this puzzle. It seemed the more he learned about this O’Connell family, the more questions he had.