Chapter 25. Almost There
On Saturday morning, Faith went to Nathan's for the morning house call, and Julia stayed in the infirmary. She stocked the shelves and put away everything from the delivery that came on Friday. Yesterday had been so busy, she hadn't had time to unpack anything. So, she took the time now. She also put away all the patient files they had worked on yesterday, careful to file them alphabetically.
Faith was only gone a little more than an hour. When she came back, they worked together on updating some of the schedule for the next week.
"Faith, I can take back some of the house calls at Nathan's. I think it's time." Julia stated.
Faith responded, "Julia, why don't you start back on Monday? Let me finish the weekend, so you can take the time to make sure you are ready. I insist. You'll probably see him at church tomorrow, anyway." Julia was apprehensive and thought that one more day probably was a good idea.
Julia asked, "Faith, are you sure it's not to much for you?" Then she paused for a moment, also considering Nathan, "I also don't want him to get the wrong impression, and I don't want to hurt his feelings in any way."
Faith responded, "I think the time has been good for him too. He seems to be doing really well." Faith paused, "But, when you start to come around on Monday, I think Nathan will be very happy to have you back on his house calls." She paused, finally deciding she should also tell her. "He still asks about you every time I go. Yesterday, he asked me to tell you hi. He said you would understand."
Julia looked down at the floor then, feeling guilty that she hadn't had the courage to face him till now. And, she wasn't sure about putting it off any longer, but she took consolation in the fact that she would see him tomorrow, at church. Perhaps seeing him in a social setting would make it easier, too.
"Don't feel bad, Julia. If you had not been true to how you felt about taking some time, it could have made things worse between you. Now, you both have had some time to think, and hopefully have a little more clarity on how you feel about each other." Faith stated, as she stood and went to the shelves to put away the things from her medical bag.
Julia felt even more guilty now, because she was not at all sure she had any more clarity on how she felt about Nathan Grant. She'd certainly had time to think and clear her head, particularly of the fears and anxieties she had felt the night she'd thought he was dying on her watch. But, had she come to any more clarity on where they stood or what was going on between them?
Her heart warmed when she heard that Nathan was asking about her. So, what he'd said was true. On the day he had awakened, he'd said he would be thinking about her. In fact, he had gone far enough to say it was going to be hard to stop thinking about her. If she was honest, she felt the exact same way about him. It's like the thoughts of him were always there, her new constant companion. In fact, she had been pleasantly surprised on her day off when she'd only thought of him a few times. That had been an added blessing, just when she needed a little radio silence inside her head.
But starting next week, she would take back calls at his house. Julia would need to be near him, touch him, care for him once again. The thought made her nervous, and sent butterflies in her stomach already.
Julia started to wonder if it wouldn't be better to just have an honest talk? At least if they knew where they stood with each other they could navigate their friendship a little easier. But, she could never initiate such a discussion. She might be modern in her thinking at work, but she was very old fashioned in her thinking about love.
Just before noon, Bill came in to the infirmary. Faith and Julia were just getting ready to head to the café for a quick lunch together.
"Bill, what a nice surprise." Julia stated, when he entered.
"Hello, Bill." Faith chimed in.
"Hello, ladies. I wanted to let you both know that I finally heard back from Nathan's mother this morning. She has arranged everything on her end, and she will arrive on Thursday, on the afternoon coach. She plans to stay with Nathan and Allie, and will be a constant help in the house, during his recovery. I thought you would be pleased to know. I'm going to head over to Nathan's now and see if he needs any help with the preparations for her arrival." Bill shared.
Faith replied first, "That's wonderful news, Bill. I know Allie will be happy to have her grandmother around, and she will be a great help for Nathan."
"And, a relief for both of us, that he has someone looking after him as well." Julia smiled, "And, she will arrive just in time for Allie's birthday." Julia added.
Bill said, "Yes, Minnie told me about the party next Saturday. I wonder how she found out about Allie's birthday coming up?" Julia suddenly looked very guilty, and Bill read it right away. "Just as I suspected. It was you." Bill said, looking at Julia with a wink.
"I noticed the growth chart at the front door, and I just didn't want it to get overlooked with everything else that is going on." Julia said innocently.
"Well, it was a great idea you had to put Minnie on it. She and Angela are so excited, it will be a birthday Allie will not soon forget. Not to mention that her grandmother will be here now, too." Bill happily pointed out. "And the timing couldn't be better. A party is just what Nathan and Allie need to bring a little joy and merriment to the both of them."
Right at that moment, Ned entered, delivering mail. He had a letter for Faith. When Faith saw the return address, her face fell. Julia was sure it must be Carson, and she was instantly worried about her dear friend.
Bill saw it too and said, "Well, I should get going to Nathan's." Julia walked him out as Faith sat in her chair.
When Julia came back, she saw the return address on the envelope. The sender was Carson Shepherd.
"What can I do, Faith?" Julia asked.
"Well, can I take a rain check on lunch? I think I will take a long walk and when I'm ready, I will read this letter. I want to be alone when I read it." Faith answered.
"Of course, Faith. I will cover everything here, and you take your time. I can cover all afternoon, if needed. Do what you need to do." Julia paused, "And if you're up for it, maybe we have dinner with Fiona at the café tonight? Especially if you need some girl support?" Julia offered.
"That would be nice, Julia. Let's plan on that." Faith stood and walked towards the door. "I'll be back soon."
"Take your time, Faith. Really." Julia answered, and Faith walked out of the infirmary and down the lane towards the church.
Julia had lunch in her apartment and came back about 1:30 p.m.
At around 3 p.m., Henry Gowen came in the infirmary. Julia had met him once in the mercantile, and seen him around town here and there.
"Hello, Mr. Gowen. What seems to be the problem?" Julia approached and asked. He had a towel wrapped around his hand, and looked apprehensive to come in.
"Hello, Miss Matthews. Please call me Henry. I busted up my hand out at the oil rig." He said, holding up his hand.
Julia replied, "Henry, feel free to call me Julia." She motioned him over to the treatment table, "Let's take a look."
Julia slowly unwrapped the towel and there was a fair amount of blood. There was a large gash on the palm of his right hand, but it was not too deep. She laid his hand down on the table and went to get some of her supplies.
Julia cleaned it well with a strong antiseptic and took a closer look. "Henry, I don't think it's deep enough to need stitches. It should close up just fine on it's own. But, we need to wrap it up well to keep it clean."
Henry nodded and said, "That sounds just fine." Julia placed ointment, bandages and then wrapped his hand very well so that everything would stay in place.
Julia was concerned about the amount of blood she had seen on the towel. Henry seemed a little bit stressed so she decided to do a quick check of his heart rate and blood pressure.
"Henry, would it be okay if I checked your heart rate and blood pressure? Just for your patient file." Julia asked.
"Okay." He said with a half smile and a little shrug, obviously a little hesitant.
Julia brought over her stethoscope and checked both his heart and blood pressure. As suspected, his blood pressure was high.
"Henry, your blood pressure is a little bit elevated. Are you experiencing any stress at the moment?" Julia asked.
"Well, nothing out of the ordinary. But, the oil business is stressful. It's not the first time I've heard about it, though. Carson was worried about my blood pressure the last time he saw me, before he left for Baltimore." Henry admitted.
Julia smiled and gently said, "Henry, this is something very important, for your general health. You can't neglect the medical advice you have been given. We need to find a way to get your blood pressure down to a normal level. Once we do that, you will also feel a whole lot better." She paused, and then continued, "Stress is a contributing factor in elevated blood pressure, which is why I asked about your stress level."
Henry gave his sideways smile, and said, "Don't worry about me too much, Julia. I'm sure it will go away."
Julia sat down next to him on the treatment table. "That's the thing about blood pressure, once it gets elevated it can be hard to get it back down. Your blood vessels could be damaged, and that damage is irreversible, and we wouldn't want that." She paused, "What are the chances of you taking a day off once in a while and letting go of some of your stress?" she asked.
"I can give that some thought." Henry replied.
Julia said, "And I have something else for you, that might help." She walked around the curtain to the medical cabinet and she found a jar of brown seeds. She brought them over and gave the jar to Henry.
"Henry, these are flax seeds. They are a natural way to lower blood pressure. You just need to eat a teaspoonful every day. You can sprinkle them on your porridge in the morning, or on one of your meals throughout the day. Or just eat them plain. 1 teaspoon per day. Would you be willing to give them a try?"
"Sure, I could try them out." Henry answered with his sideways smile. "Thanks, Julia."
"And, Henry, come back on Monday and let me change that dressing, ok?"
"Yes, ma'am." He said as he stood to go. "Good bye, Julia."
"Take care, Henry." Julia said as she closed the door behind him.
Faith came back about 5 p.m., her eyes still a bit red. It was obvious she had been crying, a lot. Julia didn't want to push, but wanted to make sure her friend was comforted.
"Faith, you ok?" Julia finally asked.
"Yes, as good as can be expected. He's doing well and won't come back anytime soon. He's been offered to stay on another year." Faith said, her eyes welling with tears.
"I'm so sorry, Faith. I know you were hoping the news would be different." Julia stated.
"I know I should answer him and set him free, I just don't know if I'm ready yet." Faith said, "I know it's the right thing to do. He shouldn't feel like he had any ties back to me, that would keep him from moving forward. In case he meets someone there." She paused and then added, "And, I think I want to be open to a new beginning, if the opportunity should arise." Faith exhaled slowly, and then continued, "It's just a really hard thing to do."
"Fiona was walking by earlier, so I mentioned to her about dinner tonight. She was excited to get together, if you are still up for it?" Julia asked.
Faith answered, "I think it would be just what I need. If I have to sit at home, I will only cry."
"Ok, then it's settled. Fiona will meet us at 7 p.m. Is that ok for you?" Julia asked.
Faith smiled, "It's perfect. I'm going to get my evening house call out of the way, and then stop by my house and get washed up. And, I'll meet you there."
Julia said, "Perfect."
Faith got her medical bag and gave a solemn little wave to Julia as she headed out the door to Nathan's. At 6 p.m. Julia closed the infirmary and headed back to her apartment to get ready for an evening among girls.
Once in her apartment, Julia got washed up and ready, and walked over to the café to reserve a table. Fiona came in a few minutes after Julia.
Fiona sat down with a concerned smile and asked, "Julia, what happened?"
Julia replied, with a sad smile, "Faith got a letter from Carson today. It wasn't good news. I'm sure she'll fill you in when she gets here. We just have to try to keep things light, for her sake. Whatever we can do to cheer her up will go along way."
Fiona smiled and said, "That's my specialty! I can do cheery and funny." They both laughed, agreeing at that very true statement.
Faith came in about 10 minutes later and seemed a bit better. She shared with Fiona about her letter, and both Julia and Fiona encouraged her that she didn't need to make any decisions yet. Fiona had pointed out that he had been silent a long time since his last letter, and she could take her time answering him, even if he had to sweat a little bit. Fiona wondered if there wasn't already another girl in the picture, prompting him to finally send some news. But, Faith doubted Carson would treat her that unkindly. He really was a nice guy, after all. Julia imagined if he had been friends with Nathan, he probably was a nice guy. She stated that Faith shouldn't jump to any conclusions yet.
To take Faith's mind off of her dilemma, Fiona regaled them with a tale of two guys out at the oil rig. They were apparently sweet on the same girl, and their antics were quite hilarious. Julia was sure Fiona was exaggerating, but she swore it was all true. One of them had snuck into the other's bunkhouse room and replaced his shaving balm for a very strong adhesive glue. In retaliation the other had stuck an entire jar of red ants in his bedroll. And on and on it went. At a certain point, Julia was sure Fiona was making it up. But, Faith was laughing and enjoying herself so much, Julia decided to just roll with it.
Finally, when they were all tired, they decided to call it a night. Julia said good-bye and left them in front of the infirmary. As she headed back to her apartment, she started to feel excited anticipation at the possibility of seeing Nathan tomorrow.