After the War.

CHAPTER 2Joel stepped off the ship as it docked at Boston Harbor, a big smile on his face. Right from where he had been seated in the ship, as soon as he had got on the ship from England, all his thoughts had been about home.He was finally coming back home to his family. It had been a long time- years of medical training in England and he had not seen them, not once.He wondered how his town would look like, different from how he left it or still the same? It had to be different though, because he knew that change happened everywhere.  The houses must have been replaced with newer ones and some people he knew may have left to start a life somewhere else.But that was not the only reason why he was happy. He was coming back after a long time of being away, as a hero. The most educated man in his town. He had worked hard, found a way and had gotten admission into a university in England. How many people from his town had

CHAPTER 4Mary looked at the family in front of her, taking in the look on their faces. She would see grief clearly etched in every line and sorrow like a flag. They looked like they had lost everything and had nothing left.“Good day,” she said.“Yes?” the older woman asked.“I’m sorry, can I come in? I’m not going to take much of your time. I have something to give you,”The woman shoulders rose and fell.“Okay, come in,”Mary followed her inside the house and stood, waiting to be told to sit. She did not want to seem rude, and it was their house.“Please, sit,” the son told her.Nodding, Mary took a chair.“I’m really sorry for coming when this clearly looks like a bad time but I have news to tell you. I think you would want to hear it.”“Okay?” the father asked.“I worked in the war as a volunteer nurse. My job

CHAPTER 6. Mary stared at the door as Joel slammed it behind him and felt tears well up in her eyes. How could he not believe her that she had done her best? She still carried the guilt- it haunted her every day since Johnny died, blaming herself even when she knew it wasn’t her fault for not being able to save him. She had almost given up nursing after his death, too consumed by grief to continue, but the realization that there were others she could save had kept her working. She had worked harder than ever, refusing to rest, in a bid to tip the scales in favor of the soldiers who survived. Shaking, she placed her hands on both sides of the chair and lowered herself into the seat, not trusting her legs to keep her standing.

CHAPTER 7.  Joel paced around his room, clenching his fingers in frustration and running his hand through his hair. He’d tried to get down to work, sorting out his medical journals, without much success. It was the sixth time he had tried to read the journal, or do much of anything today, and every attempt had failed. His mind had either wandered off, leaving him staring at his illegible writing when he realized it, or a memory of the past with his brother had flashed before his eyes, leaving him tired, angry, and frustrated all at the same time. The cloud of grief that had descended over his family had not left, and he could see it in his mother's eyes when s

CHAPTER 9Joel looked outside the eastern window of his office and sighed. The view never ceased to amaze him. It was therapeutic- soothing and calm. It was also a place where he knew he could be himself without worrying about the ghosts of the past.He had moved to Cherry Springs, California, a month ago under the recommendation of a doctor he had met after he realized he could no longer sit at home without giving his folks much to worry about. And he hadn't had a chance to regret it, not one day.At the crack of dawn, he took a walk each day, taking in the scenery and clearing his mind. The wide-open prairie and the view of the mountains held him spellbound every time. He would breathe it all in for a couple of minutes and begin his daily walk to a river he had stumbled on the first week he’d moved here.He would stand by the river and watch it flow, admire its simplicity, and feel the tension the previous day had