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Chapter 7.
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2024-10-29 19:42:56CHAPTER 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
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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
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CHAPTER 8Mary woke up clutching her bedsheets. Coming to terms with her environment, she sighed and got up from the bed. It was way before dawn, but she knew that going back to bed and trying to sleep was futile.Sleep had eluded her for the months since she had returned home. It was a routine she was used to- going to bed late, waking several times during the night, and eventually abandoning the idea of going back to sleep.She quietly walked into the kitchen, hoping to at least get something to eat. If she couldn’t sleep, she might as well do something else, and food was what held the most appeal to her.She opened the plate that was covered on the table and saw the sandwich her mother had made the night before, but she hadn’t had enough appetite to eat. Who knew food could look so much better when you couldn't sleep?"Mary." Her mother's voice startled her, and she promptly dro
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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
After the War. Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10Mary picked up the newspaper and flipped through it. She wasn't interested in its contents, but it gave her something to do instead of dwelling on her thoughts.She briefly read some of the columns, was convinced that there was nothing in it, and was about to close it when she saw it.Opening the paper fully, she took a second look at what had grabbed her attention. It was an advertisement placed in one of the middle sections. However, it wasn't the fact that it was an ad that piqued her curiosity. It was what the ad specified. A doctor urgently needed a female nurse with experience.Well, she was a nurse, and one with a lot of experience. Checking further, she saw that the address was in California. She had heard things about California- about the sights and much more. It was one of those places she had dreamed about settling in before the war began. This could be her opportunity to move there finally.
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CHAPTER 11Joel handed his patient a small bag that contained all she would need to take for her medications."Thanks, Doc."No problem. Just keep that foot away from sharp things next time," Sam admonished."Oh, I will do my best," the woman answered with a smile, her husband's hands around her waist as he supported her into the coach."And don't forget to come back later in the week so I can take another look at it. Okay?""Will do, Doctor," her husband answered.Joel nodded and walked back into his clinic, well aware that dusk was fast approaching. Today had been another hectic day. He neatly arranged his medical tools, rechecked the records to see that he had administered the right treatments to the right persons, and noted down in the notebook he carried around with him the names of the patients he needed to see on his way home.Satisfied that everything was in place, he locked the doo
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CHAPTER 12Mary came down from the coach, her back aching and her legs tired- even though she had not walked from New Hampshire. The stagecoach she took had encountered some fault along the way, severally, and the journey had taken longer than she expected.All she wanted to do was find where the doctor lived, drop her bags, take a shower, and sleep for as long as possible. She knew it could present her as unprofessional, but she doubted that she could be of any use in the state she currently was. All she desired was rest- lots of it.She had tried to sleep once or twice during the journey, but the coach's nose kept her awake. After bumping her head against the door, as she dozed off at intervals, she had pried her eyes open and waited the hours out in silence.Thankfully, the driver had not attempted to engage her in small talk except when he had to apologise for stopping the coach. The last time she had taken a co
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CHAPTER 13Joel stared at the woman standing before him, his eyes seeing but his mind refusing to admit. What was she doing here, in front of his house?He could not forget her, not even if a lot more years were to pass by. The thought of her brought pain and anger to him, reminded him of what he had loved and lost.He had tried so hard to move past it, wanted to let it go, but if she had done better, he would not have so much grief in his heart. She had caused his parents grief too, one they had not healed from.Her actions had created consequences that had changed his family forever. There was no way he could forgive her, ever. Sometimes he found himself thinking that if she had not gone, volunteered.“You,” he said again.“Yes, me,” she replied.“I don’t know what your business is here, but I’ll advise that you carry your bags and get the hell out of my front yard. Okay?” H
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CHAPTER 14Mary walked outside the medical clinic down to the main road, dragging both bags, grumbling to herself. She was tired, and the bags felt twice as heavy as they did when she had gotten lost. At least, at that point, Mary still had a sliver of hope. She knew she had come to a place where she wanted to be, had a job she knew she loved, and would meet the doctor she so much admired. How could things have gone from a hundred to zero in the space of hours?Maybe getting lost should have been the first sign to her. Then the uproar should have been the second. Both things had not happened to her since she had returned home. But no, her mind had been fixed on an optimistic assumption. That she would get to his place, take a bath, sleep, and work would begin proper.Well, look at that turned out. A total nightmare! How could she not have figured it out? That she had applied for a job with the worst person? That she had gotten an appointment w
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CHAPTER 24“What do you suggest we do?” Joel asked Mary. He had been confused about which medication to administer and had, at that moment, remembered a time she had told him about the influx of patients they had gotten with no foreseeable diagnosis insight. All the patients had survived at the end of the day.So, he had turned to her and asked the question he had been dreading all day. But, he had to trust her. It was the only option, the only way they could work.“We give them pain relief medication that will put them to sleep. It will stop all the jerky movements till we can figure out what is going on,” Mary explained.“Are you sure-“ Joel was about to ask but stopped halfway, seeing the look on Mary’s face. “Okay, let’s do that, then.”Grabbing the medical supplies needed and the drugs, they walked out of the storag
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