Chapter 19. Going Home
Lee pulled his car up at 11 a.m. and they brought Nathan out in a wheelchair. Bill and Lee got him down to the street level, and into the car. They drove him home slowly, with Faith watching over him, and Julia followed behind.
When Julia arrived at Nathan's row house, Bill and Lee had already brought him in, and gotten him settled on the couch. He seemed pretty spent already, so Faith gave him some pain medication and decided to let him rest there. Julia found a blanket and covered him. And, Lee and Bill returned to town.
At 12:30, Clara and Jesse arrived with lunch from the café, for Nathan, Allie, Faith, and Julia. Nathan was still resting, so they put his plate to the side. Faith, Julia, and Allie sat down and ate together.
"Allie, have you decided what you will write about yet, for your first Valley Voice article?" Julia asked.
"Well, I've been thinking about that. Founder's Day is coming up soon in Hope Valley. I had the idea to write about the history of Hope Valley and the Founders. It would also be a good advertisement for the festival and the dance. And, since I need to write it well in advance, the perfect time is now." Allie said.
Faith said, "Allie, that's a great idea. Rosemary is usually part of the planning committee, so I'm sure she will love the idea."
"And, I don't know anything about the history of Hope Valley, or the Founders, so I will be very happy to read your article, Allie." Julia stated. "That's a really great idea." Julia paused, wondering, and then asked, "So, what usually happens at the festival?"
"There are all kinds of games, tests of strength, and yummy foods. It's a lot of fun and brings the community together." Allie shared. "And, at the end of the day, everyone gets all dressed up, and there is a dance at the Saloon."
"That sounds like fun, for young and old." Julia said.
"It usually is a lot of fun." Faith piped in. "A few years ago, Jesse proposed to Clara in the middle of the Founder's Day dance. It was so sweet."
Julia said, "Wow, that sounds like an eventful Founder's day celebration."
"That was the first year we were in Hope Valley." Allie said, "This year will be my 4th Founder's Day celebration."
Faith said, "This year will be my 6th, I think."
When they finished eating, Julia filled a basin with water and she and Faith did the dishes. Allie got out her school books to work on her weekend homework for Monday.
Julia went over to check on Nathan, who was still resting. From the living room, Julia was able to take in a bit more of Nathan and Allie's row house. The furnishings were warm and cozy and the colors very modern. Dark blue curtains hung over white sheer ones at the windows. A large set of beautiful bookshelves lined one wall. As she came closer, she could see the woodwork on them was exquisite. Julia ran her hands along the wood and realized they were made by hand. Allie saw Julia's interest in the bookshelves, and she came over to say, "My Dad made those."
Julia turned toward her without removing her hand and said, "Really? No he didn't. They are so beautiful. I would never be able to put any books on them."
"Yes, he really did." Allie said with a proud smile, twirling back and forth, her hands behind her back. "He has a woodworking shop out back and he makes lots of stuff. He's very good."
The bookshelves held a pretty extensive library and Julia began to scan the titles. "This is a pretty impressive library. Allie, have you read all of these?"
"No, not all of them. But, my Dad has read more than me. We read in the evenings together, and then we usually each have a book we are reading on our own, too. I'm sure you could borrow anything you like." Allie said.
Julia was still scanning the titles and spotted one of interest. "I might just have to take you up on that." She pulled out The Call of the Wild by Jack London. "Have you read this one?"
"That's a great book. We would often stay up to late reading that one together." Allie stated.
"So you recommend it?" Julia asked, smiling.
"Very highly." Allie stated.
Nathan coughed then, and got everyone's attention. Faith came and checked his forehead for a fever, but his temperature seemed normal.
Allie returned to her homework and Julia went over to talk to Faith. They didn't want to wake him, he needed the rest. So, Julia offered to stay, she would make sure Nathan ate when he woke up, and she would draw his bath. Faith would come back in a few hours and they would talk to Nathan about the article Julia had found in the medical journal.
After Faith left, Julia took a spot in an armchair with The Call of the Wild. She was only in Chapter 2 when Nathan finally woke up. He started to move around and she lowered the book to find him looking at her.
Julia came over closer and asked, "Nathan, how are you feeling?"
Nathan answered, "Better, now that I'm home."
"Would you like to eat something? Clara and Jesse brought a plate by for you." Julia asked.
"Yes, please. I'm starving." He said. Julia looked at her watch, it was almost 2 p.m.
Julia stood and went to the kitchen and asked Allie, "Would you happen to have a tray I can put your Dad's plate on, Allie?"
Allie stood and opened a cabinet, and pulled out a tray for Julia. "Thank you, Allie." Julia stated, as she placed the plate on the tray. Julia pulled out several drawers until she found silverware and pulled out a knife and fork. She realized as she was rummaging that Nathan's kitchen was small, like all of the row houses, but well stocked and very neatly organized.
Nathan grimaced as he sat up and Julia put the tray on his lap. She went back to the kitchen, rummaged again until she found a glass, filled it with water, and brought it to him.
Julia went over to the bookshelves again. She rubbed her hand over them, admiring them. "Nathan, you really made these?" she asked.
"Yes." He said simply, in between bites.
"They are so beautiful. I don't know how you can bring yourself to put anything on them." Julia said with a soft laugh.
"Well, I did make them to hold books." Nathan said, smiling coyly.
Julia let out a soft giggle. "Yes, I guess that's true. You are really talented in woodworking." She complimented him.
Julia sat back down in the armchair and flipped open her book, while he ate.
"That's a really good one." Nathan said, commenting about the book she was reading.
"So Allie told me. She said you wouldn't mind if I borrowed it." Julia stated.
"Not at all. Please feel free to borrow anything you like." Nathan said.
When he was done, she took his plate to the kitchen and washed and dried it.
Julia came back in and stood in front of him, "Nathan, did you still want to have a bath? Faith agreed that it would be very good for you, and might ease some of your soreness."
"Yes, I would really like to, but I don't want anything to be awkward for you." He stated.
"Well, just tell me where the bathtub is, I will boil water and fill it. You will have to do the rest on your own. But, if you have any trouble, you can call down and I will go get Lee." Julia proposed.
"The tub is upstairs in my bedroom, the first door on the left." He said. Julia climbed the stairs and entered Nathan's bedroom. When she did, it felt strange and out of place to be in there. It was dark, so she pulled back the curtains to let the light in. His bedroom was decorated very nicely, with masculine colors in muted tones.
She found the tub and pulled it out to the middle of the room. She found soap and a towel near the wash basin, and laid them out. She boiled water and made trips from the stove, until it was full.
When it was ready, Julia came down for Nathan. "Are you ready to go up?" she asked. She supported him as he walked, and helped him navigate the stairs. When they got to his bedroom, she asked what he needed after his bath. She pulled everything out for him, and laid it out neatly so he could do the rest without too much trouble, by himself.
"Is there anything else you need me to help you with?" Julia asked.
Nathan blushed and said, "I might need some help with my boots." She realized that were most definitely true. She bent down and undid them one at at time, pulling off both his boots and his socks. Julia straightened back up and looked at him then. She realized he probably wouldn't be able to undo the buttons on his shirt either. So, she stepped in front of him, and unhooked the three buttons of the shirt he was wearing. When she looked up at him, she realized he was watching her. Julia managed to look back at the tub and avoided his eyes as she asked if he needed anything else. Nathan shook his head no, so she let herself out of his room. She closed the door behind her.
Nathan managed to undress without too much pain, and slid into the hot water. It felt so good on his bruised ribs, and he stayed for a very long time. When the water was no longer warm, he washed, got out, and managed to get dressed on his own. He only managed one button on his shirt. He shaved and brushed his hair. When he was all done, Nathan opened the door to his bedroom and realized Julia was waiting there, sitting at the top of the stairs with her medical bag.
"Jules?" he said softly, and she stood.
"All done?" Julia asked.
Nathan replied, "Yes, and I feel much better. Soaking really did help the soreness, not to mention how good it feels to be clean."
Julia smiled and said, "It might be best if you stay upstairs now, for tonight. I'd rather not take the risk of the stairs again." She paused, "I need to change your dressing, after the bath. Then I can help you into bed."
"You're the boss," he said as he smiled back at her. Nathan sat down on the edge of the bed so Julia could change his dressing. She managed to open the button on his shirt, and pulled it open at the shoulder. She stood over his left shoulder, applied the salve, bandages, and taped everything in place.
"Looks good, Constable. You should be all set till morning." She smiled down at him. Julia pulled his shirt back up and managed to get three buttons done up for him. She propped up his pillows and helped him into a sitting position.
As Julia straightened she noticed the top book, on a stack of books on his night stand, by the bed.
"Virginia Wolfe." She stated simply, "Do you like this one?"
Nathan answered, "Well, to be honest I wanted to see what all the hype was about. But so far, I'm not impressed."
"It's kind of dark and agnostic, right? I heard that she was quite troubled and may have some mental illness. I have never been a fan." Julia paused, "there are so many other great writers in our day, with themes a little more upbeat and positive."
"I wholeheartedly agree. Who would you suggest?" Nathan asked, curious.
"Well, I know already that you like Emerson, but there's also Dickinson, Thoreau, Jack London, Rudyard Kipling. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle if you like mysteries. But, it's a question of taste, Constable." Julia admitted.
Nathan smiled, "I have a lot of those authors on my shelves downstairs."
"Well, maybe I should switch that one", pointing to Virginia Wolfe's book, "for something else on your shelves then. It might be better for you to read something with a little more hope while you are stuck inside." Julia suggested.
Nathan handed her Virginia Wolfe's book and said playfully, "I welcome your suggestion. Surprise me."
Julia nodded and went downstairs to have a look. She first placed the Virginia Wolfe book back on the shelves. Then, she scanned the titles, knowing exactly what she wanted to find. A book with adventure, including the outdoors, since she knew he loved being outside. She scanned the entire first shelf, then started the second, and was getting warmer about half way down. She stopped, smiled, found it. Julia bounded back up the stairs and handed the book to Nathan.
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, one of my favorites. Are you trying to appease my love for the outdoors while you keep me inside, Nurse Matthews?" Nathan asked slyly with his crooked smile.
"Perhaps." Julia said with raised eyebrows. She started toward the door and on her way out, said, "Enjoy your reading."
When Faith came in, Julia was sitting downstairs with Allie, and they were both reading.
Julia came over and they spoke a minute. The bath had gone fine. Should they still try to new treatment that Julia had found? Faith thought it was a great idea, and had everything they needed in her medical bag. They decided to go up and speak with their patient.
On her way up, Julia grabbed a book off of the coffee table. She had found another suggestion for Nathan, and wanted to leave it upstairs by his bed. When she entered she saw that his bible had been the book under Virginia Wolfe's book, though she hadn't noticed before. She didn't want to cover that one, so she placed Emily Dickinson's Hope is the thing with Feathers just next to it.
"Another suggestion for me?" Nathan asked. She nodded. When he saw Faith was just behind Julia, he laid down the book he was reading.
"How are you feeling, Nathan?" Faith asked.
"Still pretty sore, but the bath seemed to help." Nathan moved his arms around a little and felt like his muscles might be getting stiff again.
Faith continued, "Julia found a treatment we'd like to try with you." Julia pulled out the folded article from her nurse's apron and handed it to him. The illustration caught him by surprise, but he looked up at both of them.
Nathan looked at Julia then, "You think this would help?"
"Being that your injury is only on one side of your torso, yes. The article references many patients who had similar injuries only on one side, and by taping and strapping the torso, the healthy side acted almost as a splint for the injured side. I think you are the perfect case to give it a try." Julia stated, trying to stay in nurse mode. "It might alleviate a lot of your pain and discomfort and allow you to move around a bit more. Also, I have been concerned about the stairs. If you were to take a tumble, this method would help brace against any further injury."
Nathan looked back and forth between them. "Ok, let's try it. I trust you both," he said, looking at Julia as he said it. She felt the impact of his words, and really hoped she was right about this.
Nathan uncovered his legs and stood. Faith got items out of her medical bag, long thin straps of cloth and lots of medical tape. He walked silently to the middle of the room and Julia approached for his buttons. He looked down at her with that gaze of his, as she unbuttoned each one. He smelled so good, like soap and musk and fresh mountain air. She was going to have to focus a bit harder.
When Faith was ready, behind him, Julia looked up at him for approval. He nodded at her, never taking his eyes off of her. He removed his shirt. Julia took him in then, standing before her so tall and lean and handsome. She realized that the more she saw of him, the more she liked. She took a deep breath, determined to stay unaffected by how strong and masculine he was. Faith handed her the first strip of cloth, and she taped it to his abdomen, just next to his navel. When her fingers touched his bare skin, her hands immediately started to shake, much to her chagrin. He had obviously noticed because in order to calm her, he put his hand over hers, and whispered, "it's okay, Jules." That brought her eyes up to his, and she realized how dark his eyes were now. She took a deep breath and went back to her task, wrapping the cloth around his torso, and handing it to Faith on his left side. Faith pulled it tight and handed it back to Julia on his right side. They continued to wrap it around him, very tightly, until they came to the end of the first strip. Julia taped the end in place, and started a new strip by taping it's end down too. They continued wrapping over and over until they felt it was stable.
As she got closer to the dark bruises now evident higher on his ribcage, Julia looked up at him and asked, in a whisper, "Am I hurting you?" He didn't speak, but shook his head no, so she continued. They wrapped several strips higher up. And, once all the strips of cloth were in place, it was time for the tape.
Nathan agreed to this method because he had heard of it before. He had seen it used in the field several times, and he knew it would help. It was just the cumbersome issue of the intense attraction between he and Julia that made him hesitate to say yes. He didn't know how he would be able to stand her being so close. Not to mention touching him. Now Julia stood in the shadow of his chest, right where he wanted her to be. Six inches more and he would be holding her in his arms. He'd wanted to pull her into his embrace since Lucy took off with her the day of her riding lesson. But he knew it wasn't the time then, and it wasn't the time now. He just had to keep breathing and act like any other patient, until it was over. Nathan wished she would stop looking up at him with those deep blue eyes, so intensely. And the fact that she smelled amazing certainly wasn't helping anything.
Julia started the tape, sticking it to his bare skin just below where she started the first time. Her soft hands touching his skin felt like fire, so he decided to try looking straight forward. She handed the roll to Faith behind him, who moved across his lower back, and then handed it back to Julia, who continued with a line across his front. She worked her way up, and they kept making trips around his torso, passing the tape back and forth. They made quite a few layers and Julia seemed happy with the result.
"How does that feel?" Julia asked, looking up from her work.
Nathan tried moving around a little, and could tell the difference it made. "Seems better," he answered hoarsely, looking at her earnestly.
Julia went around a few more times, cut the tape, and pressed it down at his sternum. Julia stepped back, happy to put some distance between them. Faith came around to get a better look and seemed very happy with the result. Julia walked all the way around him, inspecting the back and sides as well. When she came back in front of him, he met her gaze.
Faith informed him, "Nathan, it looks really good. We hope it will last about a week. We can come back and do it again, if it seems to help."
While Faith put away her medical supplies, Julia picked up his shirt, and helped him get one arm in each arm hole. She pulled it up gently on his shoulders. He did the rest on his own, though he only managed one button. As Julia stood before him, she felt raw and exposed under his intense gaze. She took a deep breath and went out of the room.
Faith helped him get back into bed, and pulled the covers up to his waist.
Julia exited Nathan's bedroom and sat on the top step. She rested her shoulder and head against the wall and closed her eyes. She stayed that way for a long time, letting her breathing and heart rate return to normal. Never before had she shared such an intimate moment with a man. And, why should it feel intimate? Julia had seen plenty of bare chested men in her tenure as nurse, she had sewn many up after surgery. In her profession, sometimes it was unavoidable. But, never had she felt this way before.
It wasn't just the attraction that was overwhelming, but there was also the desire to be held in Nathan's arms. When she stood in the space in front of him, in the shelter of his chest, Julia realized she was almost nearly in his embrace. A few inches were all that separated them. She found herself close to his heart and surrounded by the safety of his strong arms. She felt the beating of his heart in rhythm with hers, as if it were calling her in closer. And it was so easy to imagine what it would be like to be in his embrace. Julia could feel how perfectly she would fit there, into the curve of his strong chest, her head at his chin, and his strong arms wrapped around her.
And then there was the fact that when she had faltered, Nathan had been tender. He had put his hand over hers and reassured her. This realization gave her the sudden urge to get out of there.
Julia made a mental list of what work she still needed to finish, before her shift was through. Then she would take a break. She needed the time off, and was so glad that Faith had offered.
When Faith exited Nathan's room, she found Julia on the top step, and came to sit next to her. Faith said, "Julia, you need a break. Go home. I can finish up here. Take a few days off, and I'll keep you posted on Nathan's progress. I will be in the infirmary tomorrow, so you can stop by and see me when you are ready. But, give yourself a break, physically and emotionally."
Julia nodded and said, "Thank you, Faith. You are one of a kind." And, she rose and headed downstairs. Julia hugged and said good-bye to Allie who was still reading on the couch. And, she headed out the front door, towards home.
Faith decided to stay a little while, and was sitting with Allie when she heard a knock at the door. She opened and Bill came in with three plates of food.
"Hi Uncle Bill," Allie said as she came over to help him.
"Good evening, Allie. And, Faith." Bill said smiling.
"Good evening, Bill." Faith returned. Faith prepared a tray with a plate, glass of water, and Nathan's evening medication.
Bill looked at her and asked, "Can I take that up to him?"
Faith said, "Sure." Allie also went up with Bill, so Faith decided to follow so she could give the evening's instructions and then excuse herself.
When Bill walked in, Nathan was happy to see his friend, and Allie. Faith brought a chair over next to the bed for Bill, and Allie sat on the bed next to Nathan.
Nathan looked at Faith and asked, "Where's Julia?"
Faith replied, "She went home, Nathan. It's been a long few days. In fact, I think I might do the same. I just wanted to give some instructions for the evening before I go." Faith couldn't miss the look of disappointment on Nathan's face, that Julia had gone.
Faith looked at Allie, "Nathan, Allie, can you both sleep with your bedroom doors open? Nathan if you need anything in the night, just call out to Allie. Allie, all you have to do is run over to Lee's and call us at the infirmary, anytime, any hour. Julia or I will answer. I will be back in the morning to check on you, first thing." She paused, "any questions?"
Nathan said, "Faith, thank you for everything. We should be just fine, right Allie girl?"
"Yep," Allie replied. "Just fine."
And, Faith left them. Bill and Allie and Nathan, happily spending time together.