It was far easier on the descent to 'C'  Street Yes it was but two streets, but Barnabas had made his way quite a bit higher than 'A' Street. There were shanties above the established streets, rough abodes for the miners hoping to make a strike on Sun Mountain. So Taylor Street had turned into a trail.

Once on the main business thoroughfare of the bustling community they say had reached some forty thousand souls from all walks of life. He made his way through the crowd, thinking that by that point, she would be wondering where he was, and why he was not waiting for her as they had agreed. And, she had every right to wonder those things. Time had slipped away from him after the visit to the Wells Fargo office. He had lost himself for a while, but the walk down cleared the air, and the doubts and fears he had experienced.

He reached the hotel and went in, then up the stairs to the main floor where he thought he would find Em waiting and expecting an explanation, but she was not there. The man at the front desk said she had not been in, and that he had been on duty for the past four hours. So now, he was at a loss. The idea she might be out looking for him sent a chill down his spine, it was getting late, not dark by any means, but late in the afternoon. The first thing was not to panic, the second thing, remember the first.

"I'm sorry about your family," Emeline murmured wearily.  She was feeling a little woozy, but in a good, relaxed way.  Still, she was able to feel a pang of sympathy for her friend, and how difficult it had to be to leave family behind, especially under such horrible circumstances.  "Maybe they can come here some day?" 

But that would take a lot of money, and be a logistical nightmare, but maybe she could help?  Later, after her head quit swimming.

"All done. Charlie Fa best take honourable lady to hotel now." he suggested. "Honourable Deputy Mister Pike wonder where you go."

"I imagine so."  How ling had she been gone?  Fifteen minutes?  Six hours? Whatever Dr. Lu had done had left her feeling good, but with not energy.  "Maybe you should send for him?" she asked, "have him come fetch me?  How did you know I had a daughter?"  She wanted to sleep.

Emeline hadn't expected to fall asleep, and in fact, wasn't sure that she was really asleep or just...well, not asleep, but not really awake, like a daydream, so she wasn't sure what to make of Charlie's comment about meeting Chloe, and she dismissed it, for now.

She was vaguely aware of being helped to the cart, and rattling down the road, but she had no real desire to pull herself up to awareness, at least until Charlie roused her at the hotel.

"Already?  Home?"  No, not home, not yet, just back at the hotel.  Sitting straighter, she smiled languidly, unaware that she hadn't pulled her sleeves back down, so that her arms were still exposed.  "Thank you, Charlie, you're a good man.  I know things will change and one day you'll see your family again," she grinned, "except for the dragon!"

"Special treatment, always make woozy. You have good sleep now, you and baby. When wake, all full of bean for Mister Pike."

Emeline blushed, but she was smiling.  "I believe Mr. Pike will like that."  She knew she'd be more than happy to get some of her energy back, but that probably wasn't going to happen for another fifteen years or so!

Slowly, she stepped out of the trap, then turned to face Charlie.  "Thank you for all your help."  As he pressed the medallion into her hand, she looked at it quickly, then curled her fingers around the warm stone. 

"It's lovely, but..."

"Please take, and keep near tummy. Keep Miss Dey away."

"What?"  Emeline felt a little chill course through her, but before she could get more of an explanation, he had scurried away, leaving her perplexed.  "But..."

"That chink bothering you, Ma'am?!"

"What?  No..."  Shaking her head, the looked at the bellhop, then smiled.  "No, the gentleman was helping me.  Now, if you will, my husband is inside."

Pike came down to the lobby again after checking the room, she may well have needed to lie down. The last thing he understood was what she needed and when, or what stage she was at with the pregnancy. He needed to have a conversation with her about that. There were several things that he needed to have a conversation with her about, but her 'condition' was foremost on his mind at the moment. The money was going nowhere, and the rest of their life was far to the north and unmanageable from Virginia City.

She was not there, nor in the restaurant sipping tea, or in the lobby, resting on one of the tufted circular sofas. So, he decided to get himself a breath of fresh air, such as it was and stepped back through the door only to find her standing there .

"Em?" He asked somewhat surprised. "Are you alright?" He looked around quickly but saw nothing, other than the bellman standing there next to her.

"Barnabas!"  Giving ne'er a whit about propriety, Emeline rushed forward into her husband's arms and hugged him tightly, standing on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek.  "I'm fine, I was just out..."  There was probably some explaining to do, but she didn't care, she felt good and mellow all at the same time.

"How was your meeting?  Did you find the information you wanted?  And did you make any transfers you needed to?  Did you do anything I wouldn't?  I'm famished!  And I want to sleep for three days!  Did I say I love you?"

"I'm fine, The meeting at the bank went, well, we'll talk about that, a lot," Barnabas explained. "What was that about a chink?" He asked suddenly. he had heard that word as he was coming out, and he was well aware of the Tongs and their activities from his time there, of course, that was sometime back and things may well have changed.

"How about we have dinner, talk a bit, and then make some plans about heading home?" He asked, as there was a great deal for them to discuss, and said discussion would likely last the remainder of their time on the hill, as well as on the trip home. But home was where they needed to be. Galavanting around the country was all fine and dandy, but not with her being this far along, however far along that was. There are just some things men are not conscious of like they should be.

Yet they stood looking down at Six Mile Canyon as dusk began to fall. "I hope you remember all of this love. All of our time on the trail, and all that we have been able to do. There's way more in front of us, I can tell you that for certain."