The next morning, Elli left her room earlier than necessary and went to her grandmother's home, successfully avoiding the Doctor. She couldn't believe she had lashed out at him the night before, but alcohol had always loosened her tongue. She made breakfast for her family and lunch for the day while telling Ellen all about what happened the day prior, leaving out all the hand holding. She didn't need to encourage her grandmother any more than she already was. Elli only liked Cam as a friend, and she was still determined to win over the Doctor.
She set down a plate of eggs and toast in front of Ellen, and one in front of Stu. Her nerves getting the better of her, Elli only had a piece of toast with strawberry jam as she bustled about cleaning.
"Dear, I don't see why you're so nervous. I'm sure all those folks in Bluebell will be just as friendly as that lovely Cam, and will adore you to no end. You're a little sweetheart," Ellen chuckled as Elli fussed over the beds, trying to get Stu's pillow perfectly straight on the bed, which made him roll his still sleepy eyes.
"I know, Gran. I just haven't met groups of people since I went to the city. I don't want to accidentally be rude or something. And what if people there start thinking we're dating too? I don't like being the center of rumors, whether I'm there to hear them or not," she said, finally sitting. Ellen shook her head and walked over to Elli, sitting beside her and taking her hand.
"There's no reason to fear the opinions of others, Elli. You know, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks. You know what's true and what's not, and that's what matters the most," Ellen said, patting her granddaughter's hand. Elli nodded, muttering about how she supposed that was right and stood, grabbing her small bag.
"Well, I guess I'm off now. The boats get here early, and I need to make sure Cam is awake. I'll see you tomorrow, Gran," Elli said, kissing Ellen on the cheek and holding down Stu to do the same. "You stay out of trouble, young man. Just because I'm out of town doesn't mean I'm not coming back," she said sternly, but smiled and hugged him. "But you know I love you," she said, and he gagged and pushed her away.
"Ah, just get outta here already, Sis. You know everything will be okay. And I promise I won't even put any bugs in your bed!" he said with a devilish smile, making Elli glare at him again.
"Elli, dear… Will you be okay on the boat?" Ellen asked quietly as Elli opened the door. Elli paused, her throat catching as she struggled to swallow for a moment.
"I think so, I hope so. I'll just focus on the boat and not the water," she said, shrugging, and smiled with a final goodbye before stepping out and closing the door. She'd forgotten that she would actually be getting on the boat, and grew even more nervous, fiddling with the strap of her bag. It was going to be a very long trip.
Her steps were quick to the Inn, and she found herself alone in the lobby, the lights still out. She knew Doug and Ann were most likely already awake, but it was still odd to see the usually somewhat busy place so void of life. After idling for another moment, Elli hurried up the stairs to the first room's door, know that was the one that was rented out, as more permanent residents took the second. She gave a soft knock on the door, and waited a second without any sound to acknowledge her presence.
Worried, Elli knocked again, a bit louder. The door opened suddenly, startling Elli and eliciting a surprised squeak. She flinched back, face red with embarrassment.
"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were up and ready to go…" Elli mumbled, eyes down and nearly bowing. She realized his shirt was still unbuttoned and nearly swooned, her face hot with blush. Words failed her at the glimpse of flesh, and she missed Cam's small chuckle as he pulled his shirt further closed.
"I'm almost ready, you were just a bit early. I'll be down in five minutes," he promised, closing the door again. Elli slowly went back down the stairs, hands on her face and sighing. She didn't think the florist would be fit. She didn't think she'd see his chest, either. They weren't even at the beach! Somehow, that thought made it feel even more awkward. She was mad at herself for her lack of patience when it came to trips, and pinched her cheeks to try to stop the blushing.
True to his word, Cam came down the stairs within five minutes, his face betraying no reaction to what had happened upstairs. He gave Elli a soft smile and motioned to the door.
"Shall we go?" he asked, and held open the door. Elli followed him down to the dock, quieter than ever before. Her hands played continuously with the strap of her bag, increasing the closer to the dock they became. Cam noticed her nervousness and chose not to say anything, but wondered if it was due to her seeing him with an unbuttoned shirt that morning.
The boat was ready and waiting at the dock, with the friendly old captain lounging around and chatting with Zack. They looked up as Elli and Cam came across the sand. Zack called out with a whoop, calling over the duo. Cam and the captain chatted lightly, mostly dominated by the captain, while Zack looked at Elli with concern.
"Have you been on a boat since your parents…?" he asked, to which Elli quickly shook her head. His eyes took on a look of pity, but the young nurse shook it off.
"I'll be fine. The captain is a good man, I'm sure he'll steer us clear of danger. We'll be fine," she said, more for herself than for Zack. He nodded slowly and patted her on the back before sending them off. Elli clung to the railing of the boat, her knuckles white as the boat took off into the water.
"How long, do you think?" she asked Cam as he leaned on the rail beside her. He shook his head, looking at Elli with worry. Her breathing was shuddering, and she looked green already.
"Are you going to be okay? Are you seasick?" Cam asked, lightly touching Elli's back. She shuddered, nodding her head and shaking it. Her grip tightened, and she looked around the small ship to find a seat. A couple of built in chairs sat at the front of the ship.
"Can you help me over to those seats? I don't know if I can walk myself," she asked, and Cam noticed that her legs were shaking as well. He took her arm and helped her to stay steady for the few steps to the chairs, lowering himself next to her while she took her iron grip to the armrest of the chair.
"I'm terrified of riding in boats," she admitted. Cam looked at her with confused eyes. "Um, my parents. They were riding back from my father's hometown, a few years ago. There was an unexpected storm, and they ended up getting knocked off and drowned. This was while I was in school, so I left school early. The, uh, the doctor, he took me on at the clinic anyways. I only had about a year left for my nursing degree, and Gran and Stu needed me, so he taught me the rest."
Cam listened to Elli explain her back story, sympathy overtaking his heart. He took her hand, and she focused her gaze on that touch. She didn't notice the tears that started spilling out of her eyes, or the trembling of her lips.
"I haven't told anyone that before. Everyone in Mineral Town, they already knew. I've never had to talk about it before," she said, and used her free hand to wipe at her eyes, apologizing profusely. Cam waved off her apologies, and put his arm around her shoulders, tucking her in closer and making soothing sounds. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but he couldn't help but try to do something to make her feel better. They sat for a while like that, with Cam rubbing slow, small circles on Elli's shoulder and her tears falling without sobs.
After a few minutes, Elli fell asleep leaning against Cam, her breath going from shuddering to slow and deep. He was unsure how to react, so he stayed still and continued to make soothing motions on her back. Holding her close made his heart beat faster and Cam felt a bit guilty. He was pretty sure she wasn't interested in him, but he couldn't help being interested in her. She showed him a kindness that he wasn't used to from people that didn't know him for most of his life. She had accepted his quiet and shy side without asking him to change it, or changing how she treated him. And she was beautiful. Cam tipped his hat to himself, embarrassed for thinking about his own feelings about the person leaning against him.
All too soon, the dock that would lead to Bluebell appeared in the distance. Cam gently nudged Elli to wake her, and she started and rubbed her eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry… I fell asleep, didn't I?" she apologized, her voice light with sleep. Her cheeks were pink, making her the poster child of a perfect awakening. Cam tried not to notice and like her more, but his heart still panged. He explained that they would be pulling in soon, and would be hiking when they arrived. She smiled at that, excited to go hiking in a new area of nature.
They arrived at the dock and thanked the captain before taking off, Cam leading the way. The mountain here was more uneven than Elli was used to, but was still a fun hike. The paths were more overgrown, and cliffs jutted out frequently. Eventually, there was a plateau, and a town came into view. Behind a veil of trees peeked a view of a horseshoe shaped town, and Elli found her stomach in knots with worry about whether or not Cam's friends would like her.
"Cam!" called a voice from the continuing mountain to the side, and Elli looked up to see a darker blonde man approaching, waving excitedly. Cam smiled gently at the approaching figure.
"Hello Ash. I'd like you to meet my friend Elli from Mineral Town," Cam introduced, touching Elli's shoulder. Ash greeted Elli with a warm smile, and shook her hand in his.
"I'm glad to meet you. Been looking forward to it," he said, winking at Cam, and Elli felt the sense of dread that came with knowing a rumor was just confirmed. She quickly looked at Cam to see his face fall back into its impassive normal state. Her heart ached a little at that, but she brushed it off. How he dealt with his friends was his business, not hers.
"Well, I'm headed back up to the ranch. Would you like the company into town?" Ash offered, and the three continued passed the line of trees to the open town. Ash broke away to the left, waving as he hopped the fence and started towards the barn. Cam took Elli straight through the town square and turned right, to a larger building with tables and chairs outside. A young blonde woman was outside, and her face lit up as she saw Cam approach.
"You're back! Oh, and this must be your friend! I'm Laney, it's great to meet you," Laney introduced herself and gave Elli a quick hug. Elli flushed but smiled happily, a little overwhelmed.
"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Elli," she replied, trying to ignore the look Laney was laying on Cam.
"You should go in and see Howard. I know Dad's dying to meet her too. We'll have lunch in a minute. We run the café in town, and Cam lives with us and does his florist business here," Laney told Cam before explaining to Elli, who nodded as she took in the information. Cam's face took on a nearly comedic look of panic for a moment, and he covered his face with his hand.
"I forgot about Howard. Elli, just… brace yourself," he said, grimacing and leading the way to the door. Confused and worried, Elli's brows furrowed until she stepped inside and saw the man in question. Tall and buff, but with a face full of surprisingly fitting makeup and tight curls was Howard, wearing an apron over his feminine outfit. He looked up as a small bell chimed and his eyes glittered with delight.
"Cam dear! Oh I'm so glad you're back! And this must be the friend you write so often! Hello dear, how are you? Was the trip okay? Just get over here already!" Howard spoke rapidly and pulled Elli and Cam into a hug that took their breaths away. He released and took hold of Elli's chin, tilting her face up.
"Let me see you dear. Yep! You're a cutie! I knew you would be. You'll not be on the market long if men are smart," he cooed, making Elli turn a deep red with embarrassment. Cam could see it even extended over the top of her chest, before the fabric covered her breasts, and turned a little pink himself.
"Alright, lay off. You're going to scare her off, you know," Cam chided, and Howard giggled and let go.
"Sorry, dear. I just get so excited for Cam. He's a good boy," Howard fussed, but went back to the counter.
"We'll put out lunch in a moment. You should show her your garden! We'll call for you when lunch is ready," Howard urged, waving Cam out the door. Cam flushed, but nodded. He hadn't shown anyone his garden before outside of the two people he lived with, and Ash the once. And yet, he couldn't help but feel that if anyone would appreciate his garden and attention to detail, Elli would. He led her to the back door and outside, bracing himself for her reaction.