Faith and Dr. McGuffin sat on the steps of the schoolhouse once all the patients in the makeshift hospital had gone to sleep for the evening. They were down to 10 patients that were recovering from the epidemic that had raged its way through Hope Valley. They discussed each patient's personal case during dinner, and after seeing them in person and making their own assessments, Dr. McGuffin was ready to discuss his final thoughts.
Dr. McGuffin, James, expressed to Faith how he was impressed with the care that the community had shown the individuals that had fallen victim to the epidemic so much that they required medical assistance. He encouraged the continued use of a rotating shift system of the same individuals so that the exposure for all groups would be limited and that each caregiver would be given an allotment of proper rest. As much of a nuisance as the facial masks were, he emphasized their necessity, in a way of speaking, until things got back to normal in Hope Valley. It was of his opinion that they had seen the worst of this epidemic and that they were on the mend as a community.
During their conversation, Faith inquired of James how he knew so much about this specific area of illness. He seemed far more knowledgeable about it than most doctors in their area. For a moment, James looked away, then he sighed heavily and looked back at Faith with his sad and serious green eyes. He went on to explain that at the beginning of the epidemic, back in March 1918, he lost his own wife, Addie, and his 7-year-old daughter Edith. James pulled out a picture and handed it to Faith. It was of him and his family. Addie was a beautiful, light-haired young woman with dark eyes, and Edith, who favored her father, wore her auburn hair in braids and had light eyes.
After their deaths, James shared that he wanted to do more to prevent this epidemic from beating people. He was tired of seeing such devastating losses in those early years. So, he studied it and spoke with many about their experiences with it. The job in Benson Hills was a quiet and peaceful one, so when he read about the Hope Valley outbreak of the flu in The Valley Voice, he knew that he wanted to come help and offer any personal expertise that he had.
Faith listened intently as James shared. Initially, she was simply impressed that someone from another town wanted to help out. As they had spoken at dinner and then later worked with patients in the hospital together, she respected the professionalism that she witnessed at work. And now, here was a man who had been through this horrific epidemic himself, lost everything, and was still giving. She was amazed and thankful that God had placed this individual in her life, whether just for the day or longer.
Once James completed his personal story, he looked over at Faith and smiled shyly. It had been awhile since he spoke of Addie and Edith this openly. He had been so busy helping others through this journey of healing that he hadn't focused too much on the loss of it all lately. Faith smiled back and placed her hand on his arm and thanked him for being so open about his own situation. They stayed like that for a single, solitary moment, and then James stood and Faith followed suit. James shared that he'd be leaving at first light because he needed to get back to his own patient appointments in Benson Hills, and he needed to get proper rest before traveling back. He mentioned to Faith that he'd like to return the following week for the same reason, if she would be alright with that, and Faith nodded yes. They shook hands, and Faith thanked him again for all of the help that day. As James walked away towards the saloon, Faith walked back up the steps to the makeshift hospital for the remainder of her shift. It had been a good day, and Hope Valley was on the mend. That's what mattered the most.