Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Love to my beta, mizzdee, who is so sad to see the last few chapters of this story approaching, it will end at the epilogue, which is chapter 18. Thanks to debslmac, for being review number 150 of ffn.
Chapter 12 – A Beginning and an End
Edward poured himself into the work on the house, wanting it to be perfect. Rachel and Rebecca were fonts of information, but Edward had specific questions that would need to be answered by Bella herself. As he looked over the Sears & Roebuck catalogue that his mother-in-law had thankfully saved, he sent a letter to Bella, knowing that she would still have that as Corporal Yorkie kept the previous season's catalogue in case they didn't receive the following years.
September 2, 1952
My Darling Wife,
I am currently looking at the Spring & Summer Sear's catalogue, wondering what your taste in things for our home would be. It seems that furniture shopping is well above my depth and the last thing I would like to do is decorate the house in a style that wouldn't suit you. I'm fairly certain that you wouldn't be a fan of this modern furniture, but I am not sure. Please take a few moments at your leisure to find things that are in the style you like and give me the examples so that I might be able to find something similar.
Our house stands as a blank canvas to us as it is a new construction, hopefully these pictures will aid you in seeing what we have to work with. My main question for you is how you would like the bedrooms upstairs to be set up. I could see two of them being set up as guest rooms until there is a need for them to be altered for our family someday, but for the final bedroom, should it be outfitted as a nursery, or is that too presumptuous? I would not mind leaving that room untouched until we have a need for it, but that is your choice.
Also, I wanted to let you know I received the money you sent yesterday and promptly deposited it in the bank. Your mother had been holding onto the money you had sent home to her, and upon receiving your letter she turned it over to me as well. Your thoughtful savings will go a long way to helping us build the home of our dreams.
The Chief has offered to help me with any painting or wallpapering that I will do once I've made choices, and with just two weeks until I begin my job at the hospital, the help will be much appreciated.
The flooring is mostly carpeting, but there is ceramic tile in the kitchen and bathrooms. It seems that our contractor, Liam has an abhorrence for the new linoleum and vinyl flooring.
I will leave you there, until I know more, but I will settled into our new house in a few weeks, even if it is nothing more than a mattress and my belongings until I can furnish it. I put our new address as the return address, and all future letters can be sent to me there. The keys are mine and the crew is working to build the small building for my private practice so that it will be ready when I have a need for it.
Until next I hear from you.
Your husband,
Edward Masen
Edward looked back at the pictures and thought about his wife wondering what she was doing at that moment.
As luck would have it, Edward's letter about decorating arrived to her in only ten days, so she was able to begin to help him sooner than she thought. His last letter had been one where he congratulated her on the promotion to head nurse, and expressed his excitement that Major Stoker was gone and his good friend Peter was there and further from harm.
Peter had been surprised to receive a letter as well as the Corporal joked that the former Captain was single-handedly keeping him in shape with all the mail delivery he was doing.
Having procured the catalogue from the Corporal, she laid out on her cot and flipped through the pages until she got to the furniture pages. Alice also had some magazines for them to look at for inspiration, so with the pictures of her home laid out before her, she told him the styles she liked.
September 12, 1952
Dear Edward,
I will try to pour all I can into this letter, as I know that tomorrow it is likely that I will be down the road with half the camp as they see fit to celebrate my birthday, knowing full well that it is a distraction from how I would most wish to spend my birthday. With you.
But to answer your myriad of questions, my mother still has the cradle and rocking chair from when I was a baby, so you can furnish the room with dressers and things that a child can grow into, the remaining furniture can be added in when the time comes. As for our guest rooms and master bedroom, I prefer dark woods to light, and you are right that I am not a huge fan of those modern styles. A piece or two isn't too bad, but an entire room that looks like something from the future isn't appealing to me.
As far as wall colors, I beg you not to pick army green. That is the only color that I would be happy to do without, but anything that is bright without being garish and with enough neutral to balance it out will be fine. (Show this to Rachel and she will be able to help you with that aspect of the process.)
The foil wallpaper for one of the bathrooms would be nice, but I also like a simply painted wall. The paneling in the living room and what I'm assuming will be your den will add some warmth to the house, and that is what I want most of all. Make our home comfortable and not too stuffy and I will be happy.
Examples of specific styles are listed on the reverse with the page number in the S&R catalogue and the item name. If you could do me one favor and get a sewing machine set up in one of the guest rooms so that I can have a little area of my own, I would appreciate it. I miss sitting down in the evenings and sewing on Rebecca's Singer sewing machine. That would truly be a dream, but do not worry about that until the house is properly furnished.
I will say goodbye for now, and cannot wait until I have pictures of what you have done with the place.
Yours,
Isabella Masen
Edward laughed heartily as he read the letter, knowing exactly what he would get her for her birthday this year. The letter with her instructions arrived on Edward's first day of work, but that did not stop him from thinking about what he would be doing when he got home the next morning.
The pace of the hospital was much slower than he was used to in Korea, but he was happy to get to work, meeting with his first patient an hour after beginning his shift. The hours passed, and he scheduled the patient for a minor procedure once all the necessary tests had been run.
A few more routine patients had him acclimating to civilian work once more. When morning came and he went home, his day his own before he had a day shift the following morning. Driving down the streets of Seattle, he found a block that had several furniture shops and pulled into a parking spot, hoping to find something to please his wife.
The first store he entered seemed to sell mostly bedroom furniture, but with his list of room measurements and Bella's letter tucked into his pocket, he approached the sales man.
"Sir, can I help you this morning?"
"Yes, I've recently purchased a house in Seattle and I need to buy furnishing and as I was driving by I noticed that the bedroom set in the front display is very similar to a style that my wife likes." Edward motioned to the bedroom set in question and the man smiled.
"Of course, Mr. …?" the salesman trailed off and Edward smirked.
"Dr. Masen," he said simply as the man cleared his throat.
"Dr. Masen, my name is Austin Marks, and if you like that set, then I have one near the back that I think you might prefer, right this way."
Austin was right, as soon as he saw the bedroom set in question, which had more room for his wife's clothing than the display one, he knew it was the right choice for their master bedroom. "You're right, it is a very nice set, but if you could show me a few others I would appreciate it."
Edward spent nearly an hour looking around the store, mentally picking out the sets for both of the guest rooms, and finding an armoire and dresser that would work well in what would one day be the nursery.
As he stood by the dresser and armoire in question, he turned to Austin. "Mr. Marks, how much for just this armoire and the long dresser without the mirror?"
Checking the tags on the back of the item, he held in his disappointment. "The pair would be $75."
"Perfect, I'll take them, along with the first set you showed me, the mahogany one in the corner, and the dark cherry one there." Edward pointed to the last two, amused by the stunned look on Mr. Marks' face.
"Of course, Sir. Let me just check the prices so that I can write you a receipt and then we can discuss payment and delivery. Did you have a preference as far as mattresses go?"
"The one you have in the first bedroom set was the one I liked the best," he told Mr. Marks as he went around to tally the prices.
A few minutes later they were seated at the desk, going over the totals. "Okay, Dr. Masen, with the three sets, the three mattress and box spring sets, and the additional armoire and dresser, plus the delivery fee, your total will be $847."
"Very good, my one question is when can they be delivered?" Edward asked as he wrote the check.
"The day after tomorrow if that is amenable."
"It is, though the person accepting the delivery will be my mother-in-law."
Mr. Marks made note of it and took the check from Edward. "That won't be a problem, just have her direct the men to the proper rooms and everything will be taken care of."
After a few more details were discussed, Edward walked out of the store and popped his head into the next store on the street. It was too modern for their liking, so Edward continued down the street. Another store had him writing a check for a sideboard, china hutch and a seven piece dining room set.
Driving a few streets over, Edward returned to the electronics store to check on an order he'd placed the week before, waiting for the new shipment.
"Dr. Masen," the young girl greeted him. "I'm so happy you stopped in. My brother will be around this afternoon doing deliveries and your items have just arrived, if you'd like, he can drop them by your house this evening."
"That would be fine, Katie, give your father my best," Edward told the teenager, pleased that he had another thing to check off his list.
Edward thought about the fact that in a few days, the cot he had bought could be rolled away into one of the closets as he relaxed on his new bed, reminding him that he had a significant amount of shopping left.
Edward was still lacking any living room furniture, or items for his den for that matter, but he drove to Bella's former apartment to meet with the Black sisters.
"My, you've been busy, Edward, but there is still much to do," Rebecca said.
"I know, which is why I've brought you along for my trip into the lion's den," Edward joked, causing the girls to laugh.
"It's just Fredrick's department store, it isn't that bad," Rachel admonished lightly as they parked in the parking lot for the department store.
Bella had enjoyed reading Edward's daily accounts of his shopping expeditions, days spent painting and wallpapering the various rooms with her father and working at her old hospital. It seemed that once he knew what she liked, Edward moved quickly to secure it.
It was the morning of October 14th when Nurse Masen received a particularly large envelope from Edward. Pulling open the flap, she unwrapped the letter from where it held the many pictures of their home and smiled at what she saw. Wanting to read his words before looking at the pictorial of their new home, she tucked the pictures back in and turned to his letter.
October 1, 1952
My Bella,
Our house is now fully furnished and filled with our belongings, awaiting only your return. As you can see from the pictures, I've been very busy. I made notes on the reverse side of the pictures so you know what is what, but I want you to pay special attention to the picture of the second guest bedroom and see if you can locate your birthday gift. I only wish that you could have use of it sooner rather than later.
As for the rest of things here in Seattle, my work in the hospital is going well, the patients are not in nearly as dire a condition as ours were at the 8076, but that is a welcome change. My three days a week at the hospital are easy enough, and I also spend a few days with Dr. Douglas working at his private practice. His patients are aware of the transition, and many are very happy that he found someone that they are able to trust. It seems my time in the service has endeared me to the women who remember their own husbands and fathers going off during World War II, and the younger families seem pleased to have a doctor that is nearer to their age.
I will have full ownership of the practice by May, which will be well after the work is done on the addition. You can see that it is not yet completed in the pictures, but the building is fenced in to separate it a little from our home, and it sits at the front of the property, with space for a few cars to park in the small area around back and on the right side of the building. The outside is nearly completed, and the inside is still in need of finishing touches, but the estimate of mid-October will be nearly true. I expect that it will be a little closer to Halloween when Liam and his men take the last of their things from the property, but the quality of their work is well worth the wait.
It will house four exam rooms, a well appointed supply room, my office, and the waiting and reception area. It is a fine little building, but it thankfully doesn't take too much away from the front of the property. I will be purchasing my furniture and equipment next, and have found us a good accountant and lawyer for both my practice and our personal needs.
Things are really coming together here, and being close to your family and the hospital you loved makes me feel closer to you. Enclosed are both pictures of our home and a few shots taken by myself and your mother, who rather enjoyed watching the Chief and I get more paint on ourselves than we did on the wall.
Be safe, my love and I will write again tomorrow.
Yours,
Edward Masen
Bella was about to take the photos out so she could look at them when there was a loud explosion on the far side of the camp. Folding the letter and slipping it back into the envelope, Bella stuffed it into her pocket and ran towards the noise with Jasper trailing behind her.
"That sounded like a land mine," Jasper called out to her.
"It hasn't been cold enough for the weather to set them off yet," Bella yelled back as the pair of them came to the edge of one of the hills that was rarely used because of how steep it was, seeing a bloodied Dr. King lying on his side.
"Damn it, how are we going to get him out of there?" Jasper asked.
"Get me a blanket, Corporal," Bella told one of the men who came out to investigate the explosion.
"What are you thinking?"
"We can see the path he took, so if we drag him out along the same path, we shouldn't set off another mine, if there are any close by."
"I don't like it, Bella," Jasper began to argue, but she turned on him.
"I don't like it either, but I've got the best chance of stepping lightly and keeping in his path, the blanket will just make it easier to drag him out," Bella explained as she took the offered blanket.
Nurse Masen folded it in half length-wise and then walked gingerly through the tracks that Royce had made lying the blanket at her feet and then leaned forward, placing her foot against the rocky hill that Royce had been thrown against after the explosion. Most of the camp was now at the edge of what they now knew was a small cluster of mines hidden in case the men tried to take cover in the hills. Bella hooked her arms through the Captain's and then pushed off the rocks stepping on the blanket as she laid the Captain down. Grabbing the end, she slowly and carefully dragged him along the mostly straight path that he'd laid out for them, the men reaching to help her drag him once she was within arm's length. Jasper yanked her away from danger, trying to decide if he should hug her, or strangle her.
"The Colonel is preparing the OR for him," Jasper whispered as he pulled her close.
"I better go scrub up," Bella responded, not wanting to get into what she'd done.
"You better tell Edward what you did, because he's going to hear about it from either myself or the War Department when you get a medal for that stunt," Jasper called after her, watching her run ahead of the men carrying the badly injured doctor towards the hospital.
Bella turned on the water and reached for a set of scrubs, Alice and Jasper stepping in a minute later. "Do you need the extra set of hands?" Alice asked.
"Scrub up, we may need you if we find something when we get in there," Bella instructed as Carlisle looked over at them.
"He's ready. Jasper, can you work the gas?" Carlisle asked.
"Of course," Jasper responded.
The three of them scrubbed up, taking extra care before donning their gloves and entering the OR. Jasper took his seat at Royce's head, checking his vitals before using the mask to put him under. Once he was anesthetized, Carlisle made an incision near an already open wound. "There's a fair amount of shrapnel in his gut, and we'll have to set his leg, but his x-ray didn't show any other serious damage."
The team worked together, Alice keeping the supplies in check as she treated the superficial wounds on his leg and hip, allowing Bella and the Colonel to pick what was left of the mine and the hill out of the Captain. They were ninety minutes into the surgery when the first hint of something wrong began to appear.
Jasper was watching Royce's vitals when his pressure began to drop. "Is there a bleeder in there, because he's starting to fade?"
"No, we've got him nearly finished down there, it has to be somewhere else," Carlisle said.
"His brain scans were clear?" Jasper asked as Bella checked his eyes.
"His right pupil is blown," she told them and they scrambled to get the cranial drill.
"Bella, keep an eye on his belly. You can continue to check for any debris so that we can close as soon as his pressure is under control," Carlisle told her as he put the instrument to Dr. King's skull and started to turn the crank.
"His pressure's still dropping," Jasper said as Carlisle worked on another burr hole, the first once only bleeding slightly.
"Here's the clot. Bella, get me some suction," Carlisle asked as he tried to clear the field, but Royce was losing his battle.
"Colonel, we've lost his pulse," Jasper said as Bella began compressions, Alice running around to operate the bag valve mask.
The four of them worked to revive their comrade, but in the end he was gone to them. "Time of death, 13:47."
Bella's hands stilled over Royce's chest, her mind instantly going to all the words said in anger over the last seventeen months. "Goodbye, Captain," she whispered before leaving the OR to wash off his blood and return to her tent.
It had been just under two hours ago that she had opened Edward's letter, and now as she sat down to write him, it felt like a lifetime ago.
October 14, 1952
Edward,
This day began with your letter detailing all of your hard work on our home. I'm so happy that you were able to get all of the work accomplished and that your professional life is going so well. Your happiness and your smile in the pictures you sent fills my heart with joy.
But this letter is not meant to relay much happy news.
The first thing I must tell you, because I know that I will be ratted out by that fink you call a best friend, not to mention a sizable portion of the camp. (I'm not angry with Jasper for his stance, but he is a pushy bugger when he is cross.)
Today, after I had finished reading your letter, there was a loud explosion. It seems that one of the hills at the edge of camp had at least one mine in it to try and catch retreating soldiers who might run over it. Yet instead of catching a foot soldier, it was Dr. King who set it off, throwing his body against the rocky hill. With little thought to my own safety, besides the knowledge that I had the best chance to get him out without falling out of his tracks, I entered the area where he'd set off the mine and retrieved his body.
Please do not be mad at me for going in after him. I know Royce is not someone with whom most people got along, but he did slowly soften, and he showed that he was not one to let someone be harassed, much to my surprise. He was a good man, and despite all of our efforts, we were unable to save him.
I hate this war, Edward. I hate it for giving us people, for good or for bad, and then taking them away from us. I hate that some of the people I'm closest to are a world away while I'm still here wondering when it will be our turn. And I hate that when the thing I want most of all are your arms around me, that I cannot have them. This war may have brought us together, but it also tore us apart.
Around us there is talk of being home by Christmas, but it is not something I expect. My hopes won't rise to that level until the announcement comes over Armed Forces radio, telling us that an armistice has been signed. I cannot bear the disappointment.
I will write you a happier letter tomorrow, but for the moment I don't have much joy in my person. Another one of us is leaving here, but for the Captain, it will not be a happy homecoming.
Yours,
Isabella Masen.
Edward read her words with a bowling ball in his gut. He knew that feeling of uselessness, like no matter what you did, the wounded would keep coming. People would die, others would be shipped home, but the one constant was the casualties that kept coming in.
October 31, 1952
Dear Bella,
I had quite a few letters today from my former unit, and many of them relayed the sad news of your loss.
You are correct in stating that Royce King was far from my favorite person, but he wasn't a bad man. And while I'm anxious to hear about your choice to go in after him, I would expect nothing less from you. You are a brave woman, my darling. Just try to remember the husband waiting at home for you.
I've already purchased part of your Christmas gift, mindful that it must be sent sooner rather than later for you to get it before the New Year. This is always the worst time to send packages, but I hope that having your gifts wrapped within the box will allow you a little joy when it arrives, and a little more come Christmas Day.
Though I would love to have you with me, the news does seem to paint a picture that would allude to you ringing in 1953 in Korea.
To bring you up to date on my private practice, I took part of the money I had set aside and purchased my office furniture and the equipment for the exam rooms. Much of it will arrive in the coming weeks, so I am hopeful that I will be able to start seeing some of my patients in my new office in the New Year. About one third of Dr. Douglas' patients now see me, and as time goes by he gives me more of his patients.
Would you believe that the hardest part of this whole thing is picking out the furniture for the waiting room? Medical equipment is easy, making lists of the bandages and tongue depressors from what Dr. Douglas keeps on hand takes no real consideration, but the style and color of this modular furniture, and the arrangement of it, is most perplexing. There is too much choice; that is what is causing my problem. Please look at the enclosed ad and tell me your preference and I will heed your advice.
I read both the letter dated the 14th and the 15th before sitting down to write as they arrived together, so let me say that I'm happy to hear that you got a letter from Major Hale, though I'm surprised that she has not left the service with her appointment to the council. The thought of her working at a VA hospital once she is done with her official duty suits her. Who knows, maybe she could be stationed at the same hospital as Jasper will be upon his return. That would be a riot, the two of them surviving Korea together only to continue to work together back in the States.
I will leave you here for now. Please, my love, save me from my interior design disaster.
Yours,
Edward Masen
