Chapter 20: Physician's Heart

On Thursday morning, Faith rose before the sun. She tasked herself with straightening her bed and getting dressed for the day. Once she finished, she went to the mirror to take one last look before descending the stairs. She pulled her curls back on the sides with some combs, away from her face. Afterwards, she added a touch of rouge to the apples of her cheeks and a slight brown brow pencil around her natural lash line. Once this was done, with her hair pulled back and the slight touch of makeup that she wore, Faith had accentuated her cheekbones and bright blue eyes. She added some pearl drop earrings and the gold locket, which held a picture of her mother inside. Once again, Faith looked in the mirror, sighed, and said, "Ready for a new day." "Hope Valley, here I come."

When Faith walked into the infirmary office from the stairs that led to her apartment, she looked around the quiet and darkened room. The sun wasn't quite up yet, so she turned on the office lights and walked over to Molly's desk. She saw the reminder. Under the Thursday slot, the day was set aside for the doctor's team home visits. She blushed and smiled to herself, thinking of the day ahead.

Dr. James McGuffin was visiting weekly on Thursdays at this point. Dinners had become a fairly common occurrence between him and Faith after the home visits. The two of them had developed quite a special bond, both professionally and personally. And, if Faith were being honest with herself, she had grown quite fond of James—his weekly visits, great conversation, and, simply, his companionship. Yet, she wasn't too sure of where James stood with regard to their relationship, whether it simply be a good friendship and professional relationship or possibly, something more.

Just as if he had heard her thoughts, just as the sun had risen in the east, James drove into town and parked in front of the infirmary. As he got out of the car and closed the door, he looked at the infirmary, and his green eyes met Faith's blue ones looking at them through the window. They waved at one another and then he motioned to her that he was headed to the Hope Valley Inn. Faith smiled at him and nodded.

James checked into the inn with Maggie. Once he settled his bags into his room, he walked himself back over to the infirmary. It was only slightly after 7:00 am and Faith had the closed sign still in its place, but he could see her working at the desk. He knocked on the door, and she looked up from what she had been working on. When she saw James, she put her pen down and walked over to the door, opened it and greeted him with a big smile on her face. She said, "Good morning, James! I didn't expect you to be over here so soon. To what do I owe this pleasure? "James smiled back at Faith with a twinkle in his eyes as he answered, "Good morning to you, Faith. I was wondering if you would be interested in joining me at the cafe for a bite to eat before our rounds this morning. "

"Well, that sounds like a wonderful idea!", Faith responded, and grabbed her bag from the hook near the door. She walked out of the infirmary and closed the door quietly behind her. The two doctors made their way down the boardwalk to the cafe. Right before they got to the door, Judge Bleakney passed them and tipped his black fedora at them and said good morning.

As James opened the door of the cafe and gestured for Faith to enter, the smell of coffee, cinnamon, maple, and vanilla filled the air. Anna sat the doctors at a table in the corner and asked them what they would like to drink. Faith asked for a cup of orange pekoe tea, and James asked for a cup of coffee. Anna returned with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order.

As James and Faith were ordering their meals, Henry walked into the cafe and took a seat by the window, waving to the two doctors as he sat down. Anna left the pair and immediately went to Henry for his drink order. Shortly after, their meals came, and the two enjoyed not only their breakfast but their conversation as well.

When the bill came, James offered to pay. He went to the counter to do that, and Faith walked over and took a seat at Henry's table. Henry and Faith chatted but stopped when the cafe door opened and Rosemary walked in with baby Ian on her hip and Lee right behind her with baby Evie in his arms. Lee went and sat with Faith and Henry at their table.

"Attention everyone, attention. I have a wonderful announcement to make. After speaking to both Mike and Lee, it has been decided that this Saturday night we are going to hold Hope Valley's first annual summer bonfire. Isn't it exciting?! ", Rosemary asked, beaming.

Everyone in the cafe smiled and nodded back at her. Rosemary said that there would be flyers and posters around town later and that it would be run in the night's paper. She also encouraged the people in the cafe to help spread the word as well. At that point, James had finished paying and met Faith at Henry's table. He shook both Henry's and Lee's hands and turned to greet Rosemary.

Rosemary turned to James and said, "Dr. McGuffin, I hope that you'll consider joining us at our community bonfire on Saturday."

James placed a caring hand on Ian's head, and the little boy looked at James and smiled big. He gave Ian a cheerful grin in return and looked at Rosemary and answered, "Mrs. Coulter, I think that could be a possibility. I would just need to touch base with my office this afternoon after home visits. Thank you for the invitation! "

Rosemary smiled but also put her other hand on her hip as she responded, "Please, we've known one another long enough. Please call me Rosemary. And, you're just as much a part of this community as anyone else here in Hope Valley! "

James chuckled and responded, "Thank you, Rosemary. Then please call me James."

With that, James and Faith said their goodbyes. Lee and Rosemary and the twins followed soon after Rosemary picked up an order of muffins for the office. The Coulters passed the two doctors as they headed to the preschool. Faith and James decided to walk on to the pond before their rounds.

Once they arrived at the pond, they walked up to the rail and simply stood and looked out at the water silently for a few moments.

"Faith, I've been meaning to talk to you about something.", James turned and spoke to Faith, looking at her profile as he spoke.

Faith turned and looked at James in response. His green eyes were gazing into her own blue ones as they stood in silence. He continued, as he looked earnestly at her, "I've learned over the past few years not to take life or moments for granted." He paused momentarily, taking a deep breath before continuing, "Faith, I've truly enjoyed spending time with you over the past several months, both professionally and personally as well. I was wondering if you'd allow me the opportunity to officially court you." He kept eye contact for a moment, but then looked down, then out at the water, and finally, he returned his gaze to Faith's blue eyes.

Faith's mouth dropped slightly as she was left speechless for a moment. Faith knew she was starting to see James as someone that she cared about. The conversation was just not something that she expected at this time. James had an honest way about him that got straight to the point that came from the things that he had experienced over the past several years. Faith knew her own taste of heartache as well. Life was short and one shouldn't take moments for granted, as James had just mentioned. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and silently prayed, "Lord, I put this in your hands. We've both had our own hard journeys before this, which makes pursuing this a bit scary, but I'm reminded of Emerson's quote in the library to always do what I'm afraid to do. Be my guide as I walk into this next chapter. "

Faith opened her eyes and looked into James' eyes once again. There she saw care and sensitivity, and she placed her tiny hands into his large ones and squeezed tightly, beaming up at him all the while. "Dr. James McGuffin, I would absolutely love to court you!" The two of them stayed like that, hand in hand and eyes locked on one another, smiling radiantly at one another for quite awhile.

James was the first to break out of the trance, and he looked at his pocket watch. "As much as I've loved my time with you this morning and what it has come to mean, we need to start our house calls," he stated as he placed his watch back into his pocket. "Are you ready, Faith?", he asked as he held out his hand for her to take hold of. She simply nodded and smiled, placing her hand in his once again. They walked back towards his car in town like that. Before leaving, Faith walked into the infirmary to check on Molly and Ruby and grab her doctor's bag. Then she walked back out to the car, and then, together, she and James rode to their first house call appointment. Faith was wearing a smile that simply wouldn't go away, and, in reality, she didn't want it to either.