A/N: I have been rethinking Divine Intervention in a lot of ways. I want to stay true to the story I had floating around in my mind for so long, but I think it deserves a mature update to reflect the person and the writer that I have grown into since starting it. I want to impart meaningful thoughts and feelings and tell a story that feels real and nostalgic to the games and relatable by all kinds of people. That's what I'm trying to do, anyway! Thanks for everyone's patience as I continue to edit and revise. And I do promise that one day it will be complete. :P
(The second of Spring.)
Inhale, exhale.
You got this.
Dr. Trent dragged his brown leather duffle bag out from under his bed with a grunt. As he heaved it onto his mattress, he heard Elli pass by his room, dragging her own suitcase behind her. She paused at his door and stuck her head in. "I hope you're almost finished – we're leaving in five!"
"Yeah, almost done!" he called back, and cast around for last-minute clothing to cram into the waiting bag. (He had meant to pack the night before.) A couple shirts, extra slacks, toiletries… But where did he put that stupid coat?
It was the second of Spring, the second day of his brand-spanking-new job as Mineral Town's one and only full-time physician. It was his first ever real placement. He was nervous, excited, and a little proud; this was a lifelong dream accomplished. This whole clinic, and all the residents of the little town it came with, were his responsibility now. Practically his whole life had been spent in preparation for this, to be a fully licensed physician; and Trent was ready to give it his all. Now he just had to get comfortable living in a new place.
At least he got to stay with his training partner, and now nurse, Elli. That made one familiar face.
That familiar face popped back into his office. "Trent, can we go?" She eyed the mess of his room. "Mm, looking for something, are we?"
"Yes," the doctor began, "my –"
"Coat?" Elli offered the garment to him, crisply white and folded neatly over her arm. "I found it slumped over your chair downstairs."
"Great. Thank you, Elli." He and Elli had studied together for years; she knew him better than anyone else. Seeming to know where he had left things had always been a bizarre ability of hers. Taking the coat from her, he stuffed it in his bag, and the nurse frowned as her folding efforts were foiled. "What would I do without you?"
That made her melt. She smiled and waved a hand dismissively. "You'd run around naked, probably! Are we ready now?"
"Yes, I'll meet you downstairs." The nurse pranced away. Trent snapped his bag shut and gave his room a once-over, heading for the doorway. Nothing stood out to him that he was forgetting and so he thundered down the stairs to the public clinic, taking the stairs two or three at a time.
Elli stood anxiously at the front door, glancing at her watch. She reached for the door as Trent crossed the room towards her, but the handle suddenly swung from her grasp as the door opened from the outside.
Blinking in surprise, the two regarded the figure in the doorway. Who would be calling on an established Clinic holiday – the only one all week? Surely everyone in town knew that the clinic was closed on Wednesdays. It was the weekly day off established by the previous doctor, and Trent and Elli hadn't changed it. It had probably been that way for as long as the small rural community had had a clinic.
"Hello." There stood Claire Kelley, the town's resident rancher. At least, Trent thought that was her name; he had only casually met her a couple times while here on co-op placements. Her pale blonde hair was pulled back in a short ponytail, streaked with grey, and her laugh lines flashed with her sheepish grin. She must be getting on in her fifties, Trent thought vaguely. She was probably here farming before I was even born.
"I'm so sorry, Doctor and Nurse Elli," she continued apologetically. "I'm well aware this is your day off, but I had to catch you before you left. I hope I'm not being too much of an inconvenience." She held out her hand. "Congratulations on your new jobs, by the way. We're all very happy to have you two living here. We'll try not to be too much work!"
Trent and Elli took turns shaking her hand. The doctor forced a smile and tried not to sound impatient. "Thank you very much, ma'am. We're happy to be here and will do our best for you. But I'm afraid we're in a bit of a rush – would it be possible to meet another time? We'll be back in Mineral Town Thursday morning."
"Well – it has to do with where you're going," the farmer quickly cut in. Her voice held a pleading note that gave Trent pause.
"Forget-Me-Not Valley?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Oh, is there something you want us to pick up for you?" Elli inquired.
Claire chuckled. Her eyes lowered slightly. "You have no idea how much I'd like that. Do you recall my daughter, Ella? You may not. She's probably a few years younger than you two, and you likely didn't see much of her while you were in training here…"
Claire's daughter? Who was Claire even married to? Chewing his lip, Trent mulled it over, and came up blank. There was so much about the town he didn't know. "I'm afraid I don't, ma'am."
"I do!" Elli piped up. "She's blonde, and friends with Ann and Gray, right?"
Claire smiled kindly at the nurse. "That's her. Anyway, I was wondering – that is, my husband Cliff and I hoped – well, since you're in the Valley once a week, we thought maybe you could touch base with her? She moved there very recently and we just – we're worried about her. Just your typical anxious parents, I suppose. We were hoping you could just check up on her and make sure she's doing all right?"
Trent glanced quickly at his watch. Sweet worried mother or not, they were going to be late. "Well…"
Elli was staring wide-eyed at the farmer, their time crunch forgotten. "She moved to Forget-Me-Not Valley? Why?"
Claire sighed. "I wish I could give you an explanation that we ourselves understand," she joked weakly. The young doctor could see she was trying to make light of a situation that was very painful, and it almost made the topic even more uncomfortable. "She insisted on her own farm. I guess she couldn't wait to take over our farm here. She was all packed up and gone in under two days and we haven't seen hide nor hair of her since. It's been quite a shock and an adjustment for her father and I, and we are struggling."
"Of course, we'd be happy to check in on her! This must be the first time she's been on her own!" chirped Elli, all sunshiney hospitality. Trent looked over at her sharply. It frustrated him sometimes how the nurse never took study as seriously as he did; their trip to Forget-Me-Not wasn't for pleasure.
Relief flooded the middle-aged woman's eyes. "Oh, thank you. We've been so worried. She's only 21, and off on her own in the world in the new year…if only she had let me know she was planning this, I could have set her up with some essentials…and knowing her, she'd rather starve to death than admit she needs help. That's what we're afraid will happen, truthfully. It's so good to know we can trust someone to check up on her. Oh, I just can't thank you enough!"
"Deal, then," Trent said, offering her his hand and sighing inwardly. Babysitting someone's wayward, irresponsible daughter was not high on his list of favourite pastimes in Forget-Me-Not Valley, especially not when there was training to be had. Training, he learned, never ended.
Elli warmly shook the farmer's hand and then seemed to realize how much time had passed. "Great Goddess!" she exclaimed, fairly shoving the doctor off the clinic threshold and into the cobblestone street. "We're late! We'd best be going! Pleasure doing business with you, Mrs. Kelley. See you Thursday!"
"I'll be looking forward to the update," the rancher smiled. "You have my gratitude, Doctor and Nurse Elli. Until Thursday."
˙·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•٠·˙
Inhale, exhale.
Ella Kelley, newest resident of Forget-Me-Not Valley and certainly its most overwhelmed, knelt in front of a bush, plucked the last berry from its stem and dropped it into her basket. Looking at her haul with satisfaction, she pulled herself stiffly to her feet and stretched.
Tomorrow, she'd hit the mines again, and focus on gathering resources to build her first barn. Then the real work would begin. Today, she was content with her basket of berries; it represented the day's breakfast. And lunch. And dinner, unless she'd eaten them all by then…
…In which case, she would camp outside the Blue Bar with Murray and beg for scraps. Haha, just kidding!... (Maybe.)
For the millionth time in the two days she'd been living in the Valley, Ella's heart ached to go home. To be with her mother, to laugh with her father, to hug her friends, and to not feel so – afraid.
Who knew loneliness could settle deep into your bones so quickly? Ella, sheltered little farm-girl, didn't. In Mineral Town, there was no such thing as a stranger; everyone in town knew exactly who she was and the entire village was like her extended family. She and her friends had grown up playing in her mother's fields, exploring the winery her father worked at, playing hide and seek in Ann's father's inn and chasing each other around the supermarket. (Karen's parents always really hated that.) Moving to the Valley, Ella suddenly discovered how very self-conscious she was. Every interaction, every conversation, she chose her words and actions with obsessive care, so afraid of appearing awkward or strange.
It was exhausting.
The blonde had always had a certain mental image of herself. Growing up, she had prided herself on being resourceful, independent, brave, and a good problem-solver. But removing herself from her sphere of comfort, the only place she had ever known, called all these notions into sharp question. She did not feel at all brave or competent when she dreaded the thought of even having to speak to someone she didn't know. That's a basic human skill, she reprimanded herself.
In her bones, Ella knew she was doing the right thing. She just needed to reach deep within herself and find the reserves of strength and bravery that she would need.
Soon. Today would be nice, she thought, gritting her teeth. A younger version of herself probably would have found the idea of moving away from everything she knew and working her way from the (literal) ground up just as her mother did very romantic and exhilarating. But then again, Ella was realizing that the younger version of herself was utterly clueless about everything. Swallowing a sigh, she picked up her feet and began following the unfamiliar forest path to the unfamiliar wooden shack she now called 'home.'
Arriving at her farm, Ella stopped short. There were two people standing at her door, their backs to her: a man and a woman. The man wore a freshly ironed, starched white shirt, and she could see a black tie peeking out from under his folded collar. The woman wore a frilly blue, lacy concoction that looked like something out of the Civil War era.
Businesspeople, Ella thought with a groan. Her shoulders slumped. She was familiar with the practice of traveling merchants that often lurked outside homes in Mineral Town, hoping to talk someone into buying something useless at an obscene price. And now preying on her, of all people. All they had to do was look around at her rocky, barren fields to see she couldn't afford whatever they were selling!
Squaring her shoulders, she walked determinedly toward them. Better to nip it in the bud. And at least approaching them, she was in the position of power.
"Good afternoon," she called out, in as professional a voice as she could muster. "I'm afraid I'm not interested in any wares you might be selling. As you can see, I'm new to running a ranch, and I have a lot of work to do and a lot of things to save up for. But thank you for coming."
The duo turned. Ella could see that the woman had short brunette hair cropped smartly at her chin, and curled under slightly to soften the look. Her eyes were big and brown, and her little smile was warm. She actually looked very familiar.
The man's dark, angular eyes rested on her, assessing. His mouth thinned into a thoughtful line, and he tugged absent-mindedly at his tie. His jet-black hair was mussed in every direction known to man, as though he had just rolled out of bed.
Ella stopped in front of them and waited for their reply. A few beats passed in silence as they glanced between each other.
Finally, the man spoke. He sounded completely lost. "Excuse me?"
"Um - Aren't you merchants?" the farmer asked.
The woman crossed in front of the man, still smiling at Ella. She brushed the blonde's arm with her hand. "Ella, it's me, Elli! The nurse in training!" She grinned wider as the farmer's mouth fell open.
Elli – the co-op nurse from a few years ago! Now Ella recognized her; her hair was different, but nothing else had really changed. The blonde felt like an imbecile. Blushing hotly, she tried to cover up her embarrassment with friendliness.
"Ohh! Elli, hi! You cut your hair!" The two women laughed. Elli was giddy.
"Yeah, I figured it was more practical after we went back to school. I decided I liked it so much, I'd keep it! But anyway, we moved back to town a few days ago. Guess what – we got the permanent job!"
"Ah! Great! Congratulations!" Ella smiled. The girls had never gotten to know each other very well, but Elli hugged the farmer tightly, as if she'd missed her every second since she'd returned to school. Ella returned the hug, trying not to squeeze too hard or too lightly.
The nurse released her and gestured at the man. "And this is my partner in crime, Dr. T! Or as he actually prefers to be known, Dr. Trent."
Ella smiled uncomfortably at the man beside Elli. "Hi, I'm Ella Kelley. It's good to meet you. I'm sorry I thought you were a merchant. I guess it just goes to show that I think you're dressed very nicely."
Trent shook her hand, cracking a small smile. "Well, thanks. It's alright. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Meeting her eyes, he noted the resemblance she bore to Claire. Long blonde hair hung in a ponytail and her round, large eyes were her mother's startling shade of blue. Freckles danced across her nose and her small, upturned mouth and pixie chin gave her an almost mischievous look. She was cute, but not outstandingly beautiful. Ella Kelley, he decided, embodied the "girl next door" image.
"Well, now that we all know who everyone is," Elli was laughing, "How are you doing here in the Valley, Ella?"
Oh.
Ella's stomach dropped. She finally understood why they were here.
Mom sent them.
It made complete sense. Her mother wouldn't send one of Ella's friends; they would sweeten up the truth so that Claire wouldn't worry. But these two, virtual strangers to the family, would be brutally honest, no matter how deep of a rut Ella got herself into.
And the last thing she wanted her mother to do was worry. She had come here to help her mother, not make things worse.
The blonde quickly slapped on her best game face for the two. "Great!" she chirped, and cringed inwardly as her voice squeaked. "It doesn't look like much now, but I'm planning on asking Gotz to build me a barn as soon as I can, and then things will really get rolling." She referred to the burly woodsman from Mineral Town, who she had been surprised to learn was also the most local carpenter to the Valley.
"Wow!" Elli said. "This is a pretty big place you got here. Maybe even bigger than your mom's farm, right? It's looking good." Beaming, the nurse looked over the expanse of fields, littered with scraggly weeds, rocks, and the occasional stump.
"Oh. Thanks," Ella replied, painfully aware of how her farm looked. "So, what brings you two to Forget-Me-Not?" Maybe they wouldn't come very often.
"My old friend and mentor, Dr. Hardy," Trent answered. "We're meeting every Wednesday. We just thought we'd drop by and see how you're doing."
"Thanks for your concern, but I'm doing very well," Ella told them pointedly, through a big phony smile. "I'm having an excellent time here in the Valley."
"Good to hear," the doctor said briskly. "Well, we should get back to Hardy, Elli." He ushered the nurse towards the farm entrance. "Don't be too shy to drop by if you have any health concerns, Miss Kelley."
"I will," Ella called. Once they were out of sight, the farmer exhaled deeply, as if deflating, and slumped against her farmhouse.
Her task was enormous and her stress was high, and now her progress was being reported to the one person who was the most at risk in the thick of it all.
Inhale, exhale.
You can do this.