Ford walked down to Holly's farm. He saw her working out in her fields. "Hey Ford, what are you doing here?" she asked curiously.
Ford nervously played with his tie and said, "I was heading to the garden grill, and I wanted to know, if you would care to join me."
"Sounds great," she said as she dusted herself off, "Just give me a moment to change and get cleaned up."
…
Holly and Ford sat at a table together. Holly looked up at Ford and noticed that he seemed tired. "Ford, how are you feeling? You look exhausted."
Ford nodded and answered, "I'm fine. There was another incident with the animal traps this morning."
"Who got hurt this time?" Holly asked.
"I am not at liberty to say due to doctor/patient confidentiality. But, it is safe to say that after today there will definitely be no more animal traps in the area." Ford explained.
Holly gasped and asked, "It wasn't a child was it?"
Ford shook his head.
Holly grabbed his hand across the table and smiled, "Ford, you are an incredible doctor. Our town is so blessed to have you." Holly reached her hand up to brush the bangs out of his face. Ford's heart started to pound with anticipation, as Holly leaned in close. At that moment, Carrie brought out their dinners, and said, "Well don't you two look like a couple of peas in a pod."
Ford turned beet red, while Holly looked down at the food placed in front of her. Holly could tell that Ford was uncomfortable, so she decided to change the conversation, "Wow, the pizza smells extraordinary tonight. Let's dig in."
…
After dinner, Ford ordered a salad for his irritating patient, back at the clinic. Holly looked deep in thought, so he nudged her to see what he was thinking.
Holly jumped at the interaction, and apologized, "I'm sorry Ford. I was just wondering what happened to Ludus. He was supposed to start working on my house today. I hope he didn't just take my cash and ran with it.
Ford almost choked on his drink and replied, "Somehow, I don't think Ludus is going to be running for a long time."
Holly was puzzled by his response but didn't question it. She figured his vague response had something to do with the doctor and patient confidentiality thing he mentioned earlier.
Ford walked Holly home. When they got to her doorstep, Holly turned to face Ford, "Thanks for dinner. We should do this again sometimes."
Ford nodded and replied, "We should…"
There was a slight pause before Holly stood up on her tippy toes, and gave him a peck on the cheek. She then walked into her house and shut the door.
Ford stood there frozen for about a minute, he placed his hand on his cheek and smiled before making his way back to the hospital.
When Ford entered the clinic, he walked behind the curtain to check on his patient, only to find an empty bed.
Ford's face went pale, as he walked around the clinic to search for him. Suddenly, he heard some voices out back. He walked out the back door to see his father and Ludus smoking an unknown substance. He quickly snatched away the smoke from them both. He then said to them both, "I don't know how you got here, but you need to lay back down," pointing to Ludus. He then turned to his father and continued, "And you, need to leave town."
"But, my boy. I just got here," His father said to him.
Ludus grabbed the bottle next to his leg and took a swig, ready for the show.
Ford snatched the bottle away from him. He held his hand out to his father, who he knew also had one. His father begrudgingly gave it to him. Ford noticed town folks started to look in their direction and said, "Both of you, get inside."
Inside he made Ludus sit in his bed while he talked to his father, "What are you doing here?"
"Can't a father just come visit his son, no questions asked?" The father said.
"Sure, a father could. Just not my father. Now what do you want?" Ford replied.
His father sighed and said, "I am out of money, and I have no place to stay or eat. There are some dealers coming after me, and I need a place to lay low. Could I stay here for a few days, until this all blows over."
"I'm sorry, but no. I have established a life here… a good one. I will not bring you back into my life, just so you can ruin it again." Ford said authoritatively.
"Son these people are dangerous. They will stop at nothing to kill me. I just need a few days," his father begged.
"No, grab some food from the fridge and get out," Ford answered.
His father still tried to convince him, "How about some money for a hotel? You're a doctor. You got plenty of dough."
Ford shook his head and said, "You will just use it for drugs, and I will be damned if I am the reason you overdose. Now grab some food and get the hell out of my clinic, and out of my life."
After his father left, Ludus said, "Well…Well…Well…It looks like the doctor has a past."
Ford looked at Ludus threateningly and said, "I would stay out of it if I were you."
"And, if I don't?" Ludus asked.
Ford let out an irritated sigh, "Look, because you decided to smoke some random substance, I am going to have to monitor you all night. It is going to be a long night for both of us, so please refrain from being an asshole." He then walked over to the microscope to investigate what the two were smoking.
Ludus laid back with his arms crossed, "Fine."
…
A few days later, Holly was walking towards the general store, when a man bumped into her. "Excuse me," he said before continuing to wherever he was going.
"Excuse me," She called back.
She walked into the general store and greeted, "Good Morning, Mirabelle."
"Good Morning, Holly. What can I do for you today?" Mirabelle asked.
Holly smiled and said, "Can I have 5 packs of tomato seeds and 5 packs of corn?"
Mirabelle smiled and replied, "Certainly," she then went to the back to retrieve the seeds.
Holly reached into her pocket for her wallet, only to discover it was gone. She then started to check her other pockets and look around on the floor for it.
Mirabelle came out from the back with the seed packs and said, "The corn seeds are on sale today. So, it will only be 3,200G."
Holly bowed in embarrassment and said, "I'm sorry, but could you put those to the side for a little while, I think I lost my wallet on the way here."
"Okay, honey. It will be here when you return," Mirabelle replied.
Holly started to retrace her steps looking up and down the streets. Wayne noticed her looking for something along the road. He approached her and asked, "Holly, can I help you with something."
"Oh, Thank god Wayne. I appear to have lost my wallet on the way to the store. If you could keep an eye out for it while you are making your rounds, I would appreciate it," Holly replied.
"Sure, but what have you done up to the point where you lost your wallet? That could help us narrow things down," Wayne asked.
"I walked straight from my house to Mirabelle's. The only time I stopped, was when I accidentally bumped into that guy," Holly explained.
"Who did you bump into?" Wayne asked.
Holly shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I never saw him before today. He was an older man…tall, with gray hair, and violet eyes. He was wearing a plaid shirt and black slacks…I think." She paused for a moment and joked, "He kind of looked like an older, more relaxed version of Ford."
Wayne grabbed his hat and leaned back to stretch, "Well, I will let you know if I come across it."
"Please, I have been saving that money for weeks to be able to plant a summer crop," She said.
Wayne tipped his hat, and started heading straight for Ford's home.
…
Ford had been up all night for the past couple days due to horrible night terrors. Ludus looked the doctor up and down and said, "You look like shit. Did Holly dump you or something?"
Ford ignored Ludus's comment and started to make breakfast when he heard the bell on the door ring. He looked over to see Wayne standing there fidgeting nervously. "If you are out of your migraine medicine, you know I will give you a few pills to hold you over until you can pay for it. You don't have to look so tense about it," Ford said.
Wayne took off his hat and explained in a lowered voice, "No, it's not that." He then whispered, "Has your father been into town lately?"
Ford placed both hands on the counter and looked down, "What did he do," he asked in a defeated voice.
"Well, I don't know for sure, but I think he may have pickpocketed Holly. She is retracing her steps right now trying to find her wallet," Wayne explained.
Ford turned off the stove and handed Ludus his breakfast. He turned to Wayne and asked, "Could you stay here for about 20 minutes? I think I know where he went?"
Wayne nodded, "Sure."
…
Ford grabbed his wallet and headed to a near by saloon. Ford walked in and saw his father playing poker across the room. He walked up to him and said, "Father, can I speak to you for a moment?"
His father looked up at him and said, "Sure, why not. My cards stink this round anyway." He threw his cards on the table and followed his son out the saloon. "Did you change your mind about helping me?" he asked.
Ford grabbed his father's shirt with both hands, "Where's Holly's wallet?"
"Whose Holly," his father asked.
"Holly is the name of the girl you pickpocketed earlier. Now where is it?" Ford said angrily.
"Geez, since when did you grow a back bone…What's the big deal? It was only about 7000 G." His father asked.
Ford rolled his eyes and said, "I will give you 3000 G to give me that wallet right now."
"No way, I just told you it had 7000 G in it," his father argued.
"And I am willing to bet you smoked, gambled, and drank at least 5000 away already," Ford countered.
His fathered growled, his son was too smart for his own good. "Fine," he said. He pulled the wallet out of his pocket and took the remaining money in the wallet and put it away. He handed the wallet out to his son, who paid him the 3000 G."
Before Ford left, he gave one final warning, "Don't you ever go near her again."
"What's the big deal with this girl? You shacking up with her or something?" his father asked.
"That's none of your business," he replied before heading back into town.
…
Ford dug in his wallet and placed 8,000 G into hers. He wasn't sure exactly how much his father had stolen, but he wanted to make sure that she wasn't short."
Ford headed back to her farm and saw her picking blueberries hurriedly. Her eyes were red and puffy, so she was either crying or had a bad allergy to blueberries. Ford was betting on the first. Ford walked up to her and said, "Here, I found it."
Holly looked up and smiled, "Oh, thank god," she said as she looked inside to see some money. She didn't bother counting it, figuring that if anyone took money out, they would have taken it all.
She threw her arms around him and started to cry into his shirt. Ford, was confused by this action and stood there stiff as a board.
Holly hiccupped and said, "Thank you so much for finding it. I was on my way to the general store to buy seeds when it vanished. After I couldn't find it, I have been scavenging for anything I can sell." She reached her hands into her pockets to show that they were full of nuts and berries.
Ford slowly and cautiously wrapped his arms around her. His gesture must have been well received, because she pulled him even closer. Finally, Ford gets the courage to ask her the question that has been bothering him for weeks, "Holly, what do you think about you and me?"
"I think we are great friends," Holly answered honestly, "Why do you ask?"
Ford swallowed nervously and continued, "Holly, do you ever think we could be more than just friends?"
Holly smiled and wiped away the tears from earlier. She nodded and answered, "Yes, I would love that." She then moved her arms up his torso, wrapped them around his neck, and gave him a kiss.
Ford blushed, and nervously said, "Great… Would you join me at my place for dinner tonight?"
She let go of him and nodded, before he turned around and headed back to the clinic.
In the distance, a man was watching them close.
'So, that's why Ford was so upset with me,' Ford's father thought to himself.