Daniel woke with a jerk, sitting up abruptly.

"Reverend Cooper?" Nub reached out to touch his shoulder.

The lanky, dark haired minister peered blearily at the blond man. "Nub?" He croaked it out, his voice a bit hoarse and full of surprise. Last night? What had happened last night? Daniel felt as if there was something he should remember. Something important. He tried to think, but it wouldn't come, however hard he tried. All it did was make his head hurt worse.

"Take it easy. I bet you hurt all over," Nub responded guilelessly. "We were worried."

"Worried? What happened?" Part of his memories of the cold, wet night leaked back in. "The storm? There was flooding. Is everyone all right?"

"Everyone's fine mostly. Oh, there are a few chills and Katie has another earache. Andy's taking her to the doctor on the mainland today. You were the one who got the worst of it, Daniel. I think you scared Kevin half to death."

"I... slipped? Down a bank?"

"Yeah, except it's more like the bank slipped out from under you. Kevin said it just gave way suddenly." Nub stood and walked to the phone. "I'm suppose to call Doctor Watson and let her know when you woke up."

Daniel sank back on to his pillow with a soft groan. Every inch of his body seemed to hurt. He felt so stiff. "I'm glad everyone's okay."

Finishing the call, Nub returned to his side, pulling the blankets and quilts up around Daniel's neck. "We are glad you're going to be okay. You need to stay warm. Doctor Watson will be here soon."

"I'm sorry to be a bother. You must be tired." Nub had been one of Kevin's volunteers. He and Brian had been out last night too.

"Not really. Ruby and Bonita stayed with you until about seven. I've been here since then. Doctor Watson said you might have a mild concussion and that you shouldn't be left alone. But she also said we should let you sleep yourself out. I'm glad you're awake now, Daniel." He smiled warmly. "Alex will be by around twelve. She's bringing some stone soup from Boris. He says it will build your strength back up." Nub scratched his head. "I wonder why he calls it stone soup. It can't be made with a stone. Can it?"

"Surely you've heard the story about stone soup, Nub." Seeing Nub's curiosity, Daniel launched into the tale about the crafty ex-soldier who claimed to able to make soup with a stone. He told how the soldier had gotten the greedy, selfish farmer's wife to supply bran and vegetables to help 'make it just a little bit better', after all every soup needed onions and a few potatoes and... Soon, he had made the most delicious soup and the farmer's wife never realized she'd been tricked into supplying the ingredients. Nub laughed in delight. "Actually, I think there are other variations of it, but that's the one I heard."

Nub wiped his eyes. "That's a good story, Daniel." A knock on the door interrupted him. He went and opened the door, escorting Doctor Watson to her patient. "I'll, uh, leave you alone. Call if you need anything." He retreated to the living room couch to wait.

"Hello, Daniel. How do you feel?"

"Sore and stiff." Daniel answered truthfully.

"How about your head?"

"It hurts a bit. It was worse right after I woke up though."

"Oh?" Doctor Watson listened to his chest and took his temperature. She checked his eyes and his wrist. Rewrapping his wrist with an ace bandage, she sighed. "Well, you were lucky. I guess your guardian angel was looking out for you. He or she certainly earned their overtime last night." She sat in the chair Nub had left by the bed. "Now, I prescribe a soak in a hot tub, warm food, some liniment for those bruises and a painkiller for that headache and those other aches and pains. Aspirin, Tylenol, ibuprofen. It doesn't really matter what it is." She then gave him a very precise look. "And you're to take it easy. Nothing strenuous. I'll tell you when you can get back to your regular routine. No running, no working on the church. If you feel the urge to come to town, call someone for a ride. Anybody would be more than willing to supply it." She patted his hand. "You need to give your body a chance to heal. Okay?"

"Yes, Doctor Watson," Daniel answered meekly enough.

"Follow my orders and you'll be fine. And if I find you aren't..." She left the threat hanging, leaving it to the minister's imagination what she might inflict upon his unsuspecting person. "Let me know if you feel worse or anything strange or different. All right?"

Daniel nodded. "I... I think I had some strange dreams last night. I ... don't really remember them though."

"I'm not surprised. Nightmares, I expect. Last night would give anyone nightmares. It's probably good that you don't remember them." Doctor Watson stood and collected her bag. "By the way Daniel, the whole island will be helping me keep an eye on you so you won't be able to sneak anything behind my back." She shook her finger at him. "I expect you to set a good example and behave. I have enough headstrong patients disobeying doctor's orders."

Daniel smiled at that. Knowing what he did of the islanders, it didn't surprise him in the least. "Yes ma'am."

"Good. One disobedient clergyman setting a bad example is enough."

"Oh? Problems with Father Mac?" Daniel's eyes started to twinkle as he wondered what the Catholic priest had done to rouse the good doctor's ire.

"A few in the past," Doctor Watson smiled back at the young man, not letting much more slip, "but I expect he'll think twice about obeying doctor's orders next time. Just don't give me any excuses to do the same to you."

"No ma'am!" Whatever she had done, it must have been something to see. He wondered if he could find out, then realized he wouldn't even try. If he found out, he found out, but he wasn't going to seek the answer.

"Don't worry. You'll be back to normal in a week or so." She smiled and stood to leave.

"How's Katie?"

"Katie? Her father is taking her to a specialist today. We'll know soon, but I think she'll be fine, Daniel."

"Will you let me know? I mean..." He blushed slightly, realizing it sounded like he was asking her to break her oath regarding the privacy of her patients.

"I'll let you know how she's doing, Daniel." She smiled warmly so he would know she didn't take offense.

"What about the damage? How bad is it?"

"Well, it's not pretty, but we've had worse before. Some folks have a lot of cleaning and repairs ahead of them."

"Will they need help?" Seeing the gleam that appeared in Doctor Watson's eyes, he hurried on before she could jump on him. "I mean money or supplies or something? We've the food bank and the money from the bazaar..."

Doctor Watson hesitated. She knew that money was for the church roof, but... Some of the people on Hope had so little, especially since the bottom had fallen out of the fishing. "Well, that is very generous of you, Daniel, but..."

"It's the church's money, but I don't think the congregation would mind if it went to help their neighbors. It's... They're more important than a new roof."

"Yes, it would be a big help to some of them, Daniel."

Daniel told her where to find the money. "I'm sure you'll see that it goes where it's most needed, Doctor Watson."

"Yes, I'll make sure Kevin, Brian and the town council put it to good use, Daniel. Father Mac, Alex and Molly will help with that. Now, I'll send Nub in to help you get to the bathroom. You need to soak in a hot tub." She chuckled at the look he gave her. "Don't look at me like that, you'll be glad for the help when you stand up." She left, speaking with Nub on the way out and collecting the money.

Nub came in and Daniel found out she was right. He did need help getting to the bathroom. He didn't think he'd ever been this sore and stiff in his entire life. Nub whistled in surprise when he saw the minister's motley collection of bruises. "Man, Daniel, I don't think you missed a spot."

Looking at himself, Daniel had to agree. It felt so good when he slipped into the hot water. He sighed and closed his eyes, resting his head against the tub. Nub kept a close eye on him, making sure he didn't fall asleep and drown himself. Afterwards, he helped Daniel towel off, then once he was back to the bed, he rubbed in the liniment that Doctor Watson had left. It felt so good, Daniel almost went back to sleep again. Finished, he helped the minister slip into some warm sweats. Daniel was surprised to find they were warm too.

"I warmed them in the oven," Nub answered his unspoken question. "It's something my mom did when we weren't feeling good and felt cold."

"Thank you, Nub." Daniel felt his heart warmed even more by Nub Flander's solicitous care. He hadn't felt cared for like this in a long time. Something stirred in the back of his head, but it subsided again when he turned his attention to it. He could not shake the feeling he was forgetting something very important.

"What is it, Daniel?" Nub studied the minister's troubled face.

"I... I feel like I'm forgetting something, Nub. Something important."

"Well, my mom used to say that if it was that important, you'll remember in due time. Don't worry about it, Daniel. It will come to you."

"Perhaps," Daniel murmured as he drifted back to sleep.

Hi Callie! Good news!

Hey Christie. How's it going?

You sound subdued. What's wrong?

We had some flooding on Hope. Daniel was hurt while he was helping Kevin.

Oh no! Nothing too serious I hope.

No, no. It's not that bad. Daniel has donated the money for the church roof to help families recover.

Generous to a fault, huh?

Yeah, you could say that. <l> Daniel surprises me and he shouldn't. He's just being Daniel. I guess I still have a lot to learn.

So what are you excited about?

I found Thomas Samuel's successor! <bounce> <bounce>

You did?!? Give!

His name was John Masterson. He died in 1969.

On his way to Hope? Why wasn't anyone told?!?

Church seems to have gotten too involved in spin doctoring his death to remember what he was doing and where he was going. According to the accounts I found, he died in a protest march against the Viet Nam war. They were too caught up in explaining how their preacher came to be there to remember Hope Island.

In a protest march!? What happened?

Well, the accounts aren't real clear and like I said the church was doing a lot of spin doctoring. The media had the hounds out too. Oops! Sorry, Cal, no offense.

None taken, Chris. Did you get anything of use?

Well, I have some educated guesses from what I managed to piece together from eye witness accounts. I think he got lost and ended up in the middle of the march by accident. I'm not sure how he was killed though, if it was the police or the protesters or just an ugly accident.

How did he die?

Um, he was hit in the head by a heavy object.

Got his brain's bashed, huh?

Well, yeah, if you want to put it bluntly.

:-P Sorry! Bad pun! I didn't mean to do it.

That's okay, Christie. I know you didn't. I didn't mean the one I made either. Yuck!

The media was having a field day with the 'church involvement' with the protesters and the church was scrambling to distance themselves from what happened. Poor John Masterson and his new congregation were completely forgotten in the mess.

Well, it seems I will have an abundance of news for my next issue. Maybe I'll save this for a later one. The flood, Daniel's injuries and the bazaar are more than enough for now.

Is it very bad? How's Daniel?

Well, there will be a lot of clean up to do and repairs to make, but we'll have it done before Christmas. Daniel is mostly bruised and cold, minor sprain and concussion. He gets cold easily. <l> You should see him bundled up in his sweaters on a nice day. And they talk about women getting cold! Ha!

Now Callie, I'm sure it's because he's not used to it. Not everyone is.

Yeah, you're right. He's from sunny California. He's used to being hot, not cold. I guess I shouldn't laugh. We're lucky he wasn't hurt worse.

Yes, you were. I'm glad things will be okay. How much did the bazaar take in anyway? Or do you know that?

Almost $4,000. And Daniel just gave it all away.

Is the congregation mad about that? That's a lot of money...

No, no we aren't. Daniel did the right thing, helping the ones who need it the most. I don't know what we'll do about the roof now though.

Well, maybe something will turn up. That type of generosity has its own rewards.

<l> Guess it does.

Hey girlfriend! Would you like to see what our minister looks like? I have pictures of him and Nub. I could get them scanned and email some to you, if you like.

Callie! Why would I want to know what Daniel looks like?!

Well, he sure is easy on the eyes for one thing. <wg>

Callie! <shock> He's a minister!!! Shame on you!

Yeah, send them. You make him sound good enough to eat. <wg>

Besides, they're for the Name The Dog contest. I thought you might like to see the article. <g> And Nub ain't bad either. <lol>

You are a wicked woman, Callie!

Ah, not really. I'm just not dead. I can look at them, even if I can't touch them. Besides, Daniel is single and he's a minister, not a priest. It's not like he took celibacy vows or something.

Callie, I'm sure they like you too.

Yeah, but not like that. I'm not... pretty OR beautiful.

Callie, I bet that isn't true and there's more to it than outside looks. You have a good heart.

Yeah, damned for faint praise.

No! I've seen beautiful women, Callie. Even talked to them. You're much better than a lot of them are.

Oh? What about you?

Me? <squirm>

Yeah, you! Are you pretty or beautiful?

I... I don't know. I never really thought about it.     A friend of mind told me I was once.

Ah ha! I knew it!

Well, how about we exchange pics? We can see for ourselves? <vbg>

I've got a better idea! Why don't you come to Hope Island?

Me? Come there? Why?

Why not? You'll like it here, Christie.

I... I don't know.

Don't you get a long break for Christmas?

Yeah, a couple of weeks.

You could spend them on Hope. It would be great! Come on, how about it?

Oh! But I bet you already have plans for Christmas, Christie! I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking. You probably want to spend it with your family.

How about you? Don't you want to spend Christmas with your family?

Not really. We're not real close. I'll see them for a couple of hours, then it will be back home for me.

I don't have anyone to spend it with except Ailene. I don't have any family left or close friends here.

Then you can come here. You'd really like it, Chris! I promise!

We may even have snow. I bet we stand a bigger chance of it, than you do in San Diego. Come on! How about it?

I'll think about it. I wonder how much it would cost

You and Ailene could stay with me. That would save quite a bit. You just have to get here. It shouldn't cost that much. Should it?

I don't know. It's kind of late to be booking plane tickets for the best prices. I'll check it out and get back to you. Besides, I'm not sure I want to be flying when the Y2K bug bites. <l>

Y2K bug? :-P Nothing to worry about here. Everything is ready to go. We may lose power for a bit, but that's it and I doubt that. The rest of our utilities are so old, Y2K wasn't even a gleam in a programmer's eye. The lighthouse has been checked and that's it. There's nothing else to worry about. We are, to use a term I hate, "quaint". Comes in handy with this Y2K stuff though. :-) And if I lose heat, we can impose on Daniel. His heat is a wood stove. <wg>

You sure I won't be imposing on you?

NO! You won't be imposing. I'd love to have you and Ailene. I'll save you copies of the issues with the Name The Dog contest. Hey! Maybe I can add a picture of you, Ailene and Blue! My readers would love it! I bet she's adorable.

I don't know. I'll think about it. First, I have to find out how much. Then we'll see what we shall see.

All right! <vbg>

If I come, I'll bring copies of the material I found on John Masterson. Maybe you can use it for your story.

Even better. Oops! Got to go! It's time for my turn to watch Daniel.

You're watching him?!? Why? I thought you said he was all right.

We want to make sure he doesn't do something he shouldn't. Besides, he pretty stiff and sore. It's hard for him to get around right now. Don't worry though, Doc Watson says he'll be fine in a couple of weeks. Good as new even!

Doc Watson? Your doctor is named Watson?! <lol>

Hey! No Holmes jokes! Doctor Watson is a great doctor. We're lucky to have her.

I'm sure you are. Well, go play Florence Nightingale. I'll check ticket prices and email my decision.

Great! TTYL!