Chapter 43. Lunch With Rosemary
Julia woke on Thursday feeling like…herself. Her throat was still a little bit raw, but she felt good. She got up, took another hot bath, and got ready for the day.
When Faith came into the infirmary, Julia was already at the desk working on the list of all the supplies they needed for the infirmary. Fiona was going to Benson Hills on Friday, and usually, when Fiona went to either to Buxton or Benson Hills, Faith would go with her and buy everything needed to restock the infirmary shelves. However, this time, Faith suggested Julia go with her for the infirmary supply run, so that she could see a little bit of the region. Julia was excited about spending the day with Fiona, and discovering Benson Hills.
Julia passed the supply list to Faith, and asked her to have a look, and add anything else. She would do a double check in the afternoon to make sure there wasn't anything they were missing. Faith was glad to see Julia back to normal, and so full of energy.
"Faith, would you mind terribly if I went to the mercantile for a few minutes? I was supposed to receive an order yesterday, but wasn't up to getting it then." Julia asked.
"That's just fine, Julia. I'll just do my check of the list while you are gone." Faith replied.
Julia walked over to the mercantile and picked up the order of paints and supplies she had ordered for Allie's Father's Day project. As she walked back with her basket, Julia ran into Rosemary.
"Good morning, Julia." Rosemary sang out. "How are you, this fine spring day?"
Julia smiled at Rosemary's always cheery demeanor, "I'm well, thank you, Rosemary."
"Julia, I was just one my way to see you." Rosemary told her.
"You were?" Julia asked, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I was coming to ask if you'd you like to have lunch with me today?" Rosemary asked.
Julia looked surprised, but happy at the prospect of lunch with Rosemary, "I would love to."
"Ok, great. Meet me in the café at 12 noon?" Rosemary sang.
"Perfect, Rosemary. See you then." And, Julia headed back to the infirmary.
At noon, when Julia exited the infirmary, she realized how warm the day had become. Summer was nearly upon them now, and the days were becoming hot. Julia was excited to see what summer would be like in Hope Valley, and to enjoy longer, warmer days.
When Julia entered the café, Rosemary had already gotten a table in the corner, so Julia smiled and headed right over. Julia was so happy to have some time with Rosemary. She felt so at ease with her, like they were already old friends even though they hadn't known each other that long. Rosemary stood as she approached, they greeted each other, and sat down together.
"I'm so glad we were able to do this, Julia." Rosemary said.
"Me, too, Rosemary. And, I have to say, after two days of not eating much, I'm hungry!" Julia joked.
"Yes, Faith told me you had been under the weather. Are you feeling better now?" Rosemary asked.
"Yes, much. My voice is still a little raspy. But, other than that, I'm much better." Julia said.
Clara came over and they both placed their order. Today was fried chicken. Julia nearly let out a little squeal for joy, she was so content.
When they were alone again, Rosemary looked at her, and it seemed there was something she needed to say. So, Julia waited and let her start.
"Julia, I want to thank you for everything that you said, when you confronted Elizabeth at the Founder's Day Festival. And, for how amazing you were with her when Little Jack got hurt." Rosemary stated.
"Rosemary, I was just doing my job, when it came to Little Jack. And, to be honest I still feel horrible about the incident with Elizabeth. It wasn't my place to say all that to her." Julia stated.
"No matter how she heard it, she needed to hear it all the same. And, the good news is, she came to me yesterday. We had a true heart to heart, unlike any we have had in a long time. She seems to be trying to make amends. And, I'm not sure that ever would have happened, if it hadn't been for you." Rosemary told her.
"Well, if anything good comes out of my tirade, I'm happy. It's just a shame it took so long for her to make it right with you. And that she hasn't done so with Allie. My heart breaks for Allie, who has to continue to see her everyday at school." Julia said sadly.
"Julia, I'm hopeful and I take it as a sign that she's moving in the right direction." Rosemary said. "You know, you were right about her. She used to be a lot different. I might have mentioned it before, but I actually met her when I came to Hope Valley to win back Jack. Jack was her husband, though they weren't married yet, at the time. He was an old love of mine, and I was determined to win him back. But, she had already completely stolen Jack's heart, and he was set on her. It broke my heart, but I met Lee shortly after, and realized that Jack wasn't suited for me at all. Once I had met the right man, all others paled in comparison. And, somehow later on, Elizabeth and I worked out our differences and became good friends."
Rosemary continued. "Elizabeth and Jack were only married for two weeks before he left for Fort Clay. After so many years of courting, they had only two weeks together as husband and wife, before she lost him. And, in such a senseless way, during a training mission. It was truly and unbelievably devastating. And, I think that changed her, more than any of us realized." Rosemary shared.
"A few years later, when she captured the attention of not one, but two suitors, I was happy for her. She deserved to be happy and to find love again. I probably even encouraged her a little too much, to return a little bit of their attentions, so they would continue to pursue her." Rosemary said, looking down at her glass, genuinely sad. "I never thought it would go so far."
Their plates arrived, so Rosemary paused while Minnie set them down. Minnie greeted them and asked if they needed anything else, though they didn't.
Rosemary continued, "There was a stark contrast between the two suitors. Nathan was genuine, real, and romantic. Lucas was all about fancy dinners prepared by the chef at the saloon, expensive trips, and candles…lots and lots of candles. But, with Nathan, everything came from the heart. Lucas was superficial and light, and didn't go deep at all. While Nathan was deep, and is someone who loves very deep. I don't think Elizabeth could handle Nathan's kind of love. She wasn't willing to risk loving that way again. She just wasn't able." Rosemary said, looking down at her glass.
"We were all shocked when she rejected Nathan. The selfless, noble, good-hearted Nathan. We were all rooting for him, we were all hoping she would choose him." Rosemary said, with an even grin.
Rosemary continued, "Nathan was convinced that Elizabeth loved him back. So, he tried to fight for her, but she just hurt him over and over. He offered her the purest, deepest kind of love, and she rejected him, and in the worst way. She broke his heart completely." Rosemary paused to let that sink in. "And, she picked, well…the superficial, charming, card-tricking gambler; the man who would never challenge her. And, we were all shocked. I tried to intervene and she cut me off as a friend. She acted horrible to anyone who contradicted her, or tried to make her see reason." Rosemary stated.
"But, Nathan was stellar in every sense of the word, in his pursuit to get over Elizabeth and move on. He let her go and let her pursue what she wanted. He stayed in Hope Valley for Allie, when he could have easily requested a new posting, so he wouldn't have to see Elizabeth and Lucas together. He is noble and selfless in every sense. And we have all loved him more for it, even while our hearts were breaking for him." Rosemary told her.
Rosemary recounted, "I saw him meeting often with Joseph, especially in those early months and before you got here. I know he spent a lot of time with Joseph, and Nathan put in the work to get over her. After taking all of her rejection and the pain she caused, all on himself, Nathan worked it all through. Without a single word of apology from her."
"I believe that sometimes we have to let go of our hurts, to make room for the something better that is just around the corner. And, I have seen the two of you together. It only took one glance to see the way he looks at you. I believe you are his something better." Rosemary paused again and let that sink in. "Elizabeth was never suited for him, and she wouldn't have loved him the way he deserves to be loved. She's too selfish and guarded and will never open herself completely again." She paused sadly, and then continued, "But you, you are a deep person, like Nathan. And you are suited to love him deeply, just as he loves deeply. You are able to love him completely, in the same way that he loves so completely…like he deserves." Rosemary shared with a beautiful grin.
"And what you said to her at the Founder's day festival, well, I was cheering you on." Rosemary said, with a light little giggle.
"Thank you for saying so, Rosemary." Julia stated. "It still wasn't my place."
"Maybe not so out of place. You were taking up for Allie, and for someone you deeply love. You said everything we all wanted to say to her. You pointed out how selfish and unkind she behaved, and how heartless and hurtful she was when making her choice. And, you said it because you know what kind of man Nathan is." Rosemary paused, "I only know that none of it made sense until he met you. Then I realized that God had something better in store for him. And, I'm very, very happy about that."
Julia smiled timidly, it was a lot to take in. Julia had heard it from Allie's point of view, but hearing it from another perspective, the whole situation sounded even worse. Julia had thought Allie had misunderstood certain things, but that had not been the case. Elizabeth had really been horrible. And, Nathan had truly fought for love, for Elizabeth. And, he had been hurt and heartbroken. Julia felt for him even more, and loved him even more.
Julia wasn't sure what to say. "Thank you, Rosemary for entrusting all of this to me. Until now, I had only caught bits and pieces from different people, here and there. And, I didn't want to ask because I didn't feel it was my place." Julia paused and then said, "I am already aware of what an amazing man Nathan is. I am very thankful each and every day for him. And, I will do my best to appreciate him, and never take him for granted."
They had both finished eating by now and Clara came by to take their empty plates. They both ordered pie and coffee- the pie today was blueberry. One of Julia's very favorites, definitely in the top five.
"Julia, I haven't any doubt you will do right by Nathan. I've observed your character. You are as stellar as he is." Rosemary stated.
Their pie and coffee came, and they enjoyed it together. Rosemary shared that she was still trying to get Lee to reconsider the theater project for Hope Valley. After all the piano playing and singing she heard, Rosemary was sure they could keep a theater in business. Julia laughed at that, and commented that she was sure that a theater cast needed more than two people.
Julia quietly asked her how the elixirs were going, and Rosemary joked that Lee's tasted better than hers. He had gotten used to the loose pants and they were doing there best to enjoy each other and not stress about it. Julia agreed that was the best attitude, and reminded Rosemary that she was there for them, should they ever need.
When they were done with their coffee, Rosemary and Julia walked out together. Rosemary gave Julia a big hug, in true Rosemary style, and then headed back to her office. As Julia walked back towards the infirmary, she saw the door of the Mountie office ajar. She climbed the stairs and peeked her head inside. Nathan was sitting at the desk, writing. He looked so handsome in his Henley, she felt her stomach do a slow little flip. She finally came all the way inside and he smiled big when his eyes met hers.
"Jules." Nathan said, as he dropped his pen. The way he said her name, after hearing all that he went through, from Rosemary, brought a rush of emotions to the surface. She found herself longing to be in his arms. Longing to tell him how much he meant to her. But, instead she swallowed hard and smiled timidly at him.
"Hi." She answered. This time it was she that gave the simple hi, the hi that seemed to say so much. He stood in greeting and Julia sat in the chair in front of his desk.
"You seem even better today." He said, not taking his eyes off her.
"I do feel almost back to normal. I'm sure it was your excellent nursing skills, that made all the difference." She said with a little teasing smile, not able to take her eyes off him, either.
"Were you at the café?" Nathan asked.
"Yes. I had lunch with Rosemary, and you will never guess what the special was today." She said, unable to hide her happy smile.
"Well judging by that beautiful smile, I'd say it must have been either fried chicken or flowers." He ventured.
A sharp chuckle escaped at his little joke about flowers. "You guessed correct, Lawman. It was fried chicken." Julia reported, "why would you guess flowers?" She laughed again, thinking about that absurd but completely adorable answer.
"There are only two things that make you smile like that…fried chicken and flowers." He explained.
"And… you." She answered. And then she thought of one more and put up her finger to add, "and, chocolate cake."
He liked that she added him in there. And, she was right about chocolate cake. He had forgotten that one. "Do you still have some leftover chocolate cake in your apartment?"
"Yes, I do. I didn't finish it all yet, Constable." She giggled. "Why? Do you want some?"
"No, I was just wondering." Nathan smiled at her.
"But, there was blueberry pie at the café today. Do you like blueberry pie, or just muffins?" She asked him.
"Blueberry pie is one of my favorites. Top 5 at least." Nathan stated.
"That's exactly what I said." She smiled cutely as she said it.
She looked at the clock and realized she needed to be back in the infirmary soon.
"Look at the time, I should head back to the infirmary. Faith will be looking for me." Julia said, standing and looking a little sad to go. He stood up to see her off.
"Jules, I'll see you at 6:00 p.m.?" He asked.
"That's perfect. Unless you want to come a little early for chocolate cake?" She asked.
"You've got yourself a date, Nurse Matthews." Nathan smiled at her.
She started toward the door and the turned back to him, "Have a good day, Lawman."
"Bye, Jules." He answered, feeling very happy that she had come by. He was really going to like working across the street from her again.
After school, Allie came by the infirmary. She snuck in so her Dad wouldn't see, to talk to Julia about her Father's Day project. Julia took her back to her apartment, and showed Allie everything that had arrived for her painting. They could start on Saturday. Allie would ask her Grams to cover for her, and meet Julia at her apartment at 10 a.m.
Shortly after Allie left, Elizabeth came into the infirmary with Little Jack. Julia hung back and let Faith take care of the check up of his stitches. She wanted to keep her distance, still feeling bad after the Founder's Day incident.
However, when the examination was over, Little Jack ran over to Julia. He asked her, "Where's Nay'an?"
Julia crouched down on his level and answered, like they were talking just between them. "He's probably across the street in his office, working on catching the bad guys!"
Jack looked happy about that and replied, "Yea, get'em Nay'an!"
Julia still on his level said, "Your dad caught all the bad guys, too."
Little Jack liked that and said, "Daddy cash the bad guys."
Elizabeth came over to them, so Julia stood back up to face her.
"Julia, may I speak to you, in private?" Elizabeth asked.
Faith offered to keep Little Jack with her, so Julia led Elizabeth into her apartment. When they came inside Elizabeth noticed the bouquet drying as well as the huge bouquet of daisies.
"Julia, I just wanted to thank you for the way you handled everything with Little Jack." Elizabeth said softly.
Julia answered her, "I was just doing my job, Elizabeth. And, he's a wonderful, adorable little boy."
Elizabeth was trying to find a way to say what she wanted to say. "Yes, but I mean to thank you for the way you treated me. I didn't deserve your kindness, yet you gave it to me." Elizabeth paused and looked down at her hands. "What I deserved was more scolding, like you gave me on Founder's Day."
Julia looked sad and said, "Elizabeth, it's not my place to scold you, it never was. And, I feel horrible about it. I hope one day you will forgive me."
"Julia, I forgive you for it now. Everything you said was true. I was horrible to those around me. And, I've been trying to make it right with everyone I hurt." Elizabeth told her. "I just haven't been able to do so with Nathan. Or Allie. I don't even know where to start with either of them."
Julia smiled sadly and looked at her hands, "I can't help you that, Elizabeth. It's something only you can do. And, it will require a lot of humility on your part." She paused and then looked her full in the face. "They are both so very precious and I will never understand how anyone could hurt them the way you did. Intentional or not."
Elizabeth nodded, her eyes immediately filled and began to slowly spill over with tears. "I wish I could go back and do it all differently. I never meant for either of them to get hurt. Honestly."
Julia looked at Elizabeth, standing there with her guard down. It was the very first time Julia had ever seen Elizabeth seem truly sincere. "That right there," Julia said ever so gently, with her palm slightly turned up, "seems a good place to start, Elizabeth. You must be sincere and honest, and bathe it in love and kindness."
Elizabeth nodded and wiped her eyes. She smiled at Julia and said, "Anyone can see that you and Nathan are suited for each other. More so than he and I ever were." She paused and then said, "And the way he looks at you," Elizabeth paused to shake her head, "like it's Christmas morning everyday. It's even better than the way he ever looked at me."
Julia gently smiled and looked at her hands. "Well, thank you for saying that, Elizabeth." Then Julia added, "He's the perfect gift. The kind I know I'll never quite deserve. He and Allie both are."
Elizabeth nodded, "I know what you mean. I always felt that way about my husband, Jack."
Julia felt like they understood each other better now. "Elizabeth, I wish you well in your conversations with both of them."
"Thank you, Julia…for everything." Elizabeth stated, and Julia opened the door and led her back into the infirmary.
As they came in, Little Jack ran up to them and Elizabeth took his hand. They started towards the door. Little Jack looked back at her, waved and called out "bye, Juyia".
Nathan worked all afternoon in his office. He had maps spread all across his desk and he was busy marking down boundary lines and trails. He took notes and marked down coordinates on a notepad. But, the time seemed to tick by so slow, maybe because he knew he would see Julia at the end of his day.
At 5:45 p.m., Nathan finally, happily closed his office and walked across to the infirmary. When he came in, Julia was sitting at the desk working on paperwork, and Faith was behind the curtain with a patient.
When she looked up and saw him, she smiled. She closed what she was working on, put it to the side and walked over to him.
"Hi, Nathan." She said, looking up at him happily. "Are you ready for chocolate cake?"
"Always," He said, smiling sweetly back at her. Julia walked back to the desk and scribbled a note for Faith. Then they walked over to her apartment together. As they came in, she left her nurse's apron hanging by the door.
Julia put on the kettle. She took out the chocolate cake and served them each a slice. When the kettle was ready, she made them both tea. They enjoyed the cake and tea together, talking and sharing about their day, though Julia didn't mention either Rosemary or Elizabeth. When they were done with their little treat, Julia set the dishes by the sink.
When Nathan and Julia were finally ready to go, they walked out of Julia's back door together, and Nathan took her hand. When they made the turn onto the lane towards the row houses, hand in hand, she asked him if he had a question for her today.
He gave her his crooked smile and reminded her that he always had a question for her.
"Well then, ask away, Lawman." She told him.
"Yes, ma'am. Jules, one question: If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?" Nathan asked.
"That's an easy one, Lawman. I would visit the Eiffel Tower." Julia said, smiling up at him, content with her choice. She had read about it in a newspaper article once, and thought it was breathtaking. Not to mention that Paris was a wonderful place to view different forms of art.
"And you, Lawman, where would you visit if you could go anywhere in the world?" Julia asked him.
"It's not so easy for me." He smiled over at her, "My initial response would be the Grand Canyon. But, I recently read an article about a beautiful castle in India, that a king built in memory of his beloved wife. It's called the Taj Mahal, and by the photos it seems really beautiful." Nathan said.
"I've heard of it also. It was built in the 17th century and looks, by the photos I saw, to be an incredible architectural masterpiece." Julia agreed.
"But, the Grand Canyon. It's also amazing, if the photos do it any justice." He said.
"I've heard you can do the tour of the Grand Canyon on horse back. That would be really incredible." Julia surmised.
"Exactly. So, a very hard decision to choose just one place to visit." He said.
She agreed wholeheartedly. "I thought I was sure about my answer when I said the Eiffel Tower, but now I'm having second thoughts, hearing you talk about your choices."
"It's hard to choose just one, right?" He said smiling playfully at her.
"Yes it is!" She agreed, "Especially when we can choose anywhere in the world. There is also the Great Barrier Reef, the Amazon, the Serengeti. The world is our oyster, Lawman." She stated looking up happily at him.
"I like that, Jules. The world is our oyster. We can dream can't we? And there are many amazing things to see." He said, holding her hand close to his heart.
After the day she'd had, when Nathan put her hand to his heart, she had to take a deep breath. Today, Julia had been touched very very deeply. Hearing from Rosemary, how he had stood steadfast even in the face of heartbreak. And how he had fought for love, and been stellar in every sense of the word. Or when Elizabeth herself had admitted how he had been hurt. Those confessions made Julia love him even more. And as they walked next to each other, it was all she could do to keep from turning to him and embracing him completely. She just wanted to make it all better, to love him with all of her being, until he was restored completely, because he was exceptional.
When they arrived at the steps of his front porch, Nathan kept her hand in his, and they sat together. They talked a while longer, and Julia tried as much as possible to act as if all was normal. They kept it light and jovial as they talked.
When it started to get late, Julia decided she should head home. Nathan stood with her and took her into his arms. She stayed as long as he was willing to hold her. Not moving an inch, just holding on to him tightly. When he finally pulled back, she was hesitant to leave the safety of his embrace. He looked down at her as if he knew there was something on her mind. But, she didn't even know how to share the yearning of her heart. So, she didn't. She just smiled timidly at him and said her good-bye.
Before she turned to walk home, he held her hand fast, and pulled her back a little toward him. Julia realized he wanted to ask her something. "Jules, would you have dinner with me tomorrow night?" He asked.
"Nathan, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I can tomorrow night. I'm going to Benson Hills with Fiona tomorrow, to get supplies for the infirmary. I will be gone all day, and have no idea what time we will be back." She said, sadly.
He smiled, happy for her, that she would get to go on a little day trip. He said, "A trip to Benson Hills actually sounds like fun, Jules."
Julia said smiling, "I know, I'm excited. I haven't been anywhere in the area. Faith thought I would like to discover Benson Hills. So, she suggested I go with Fiona, instead of her." She looked conflicted then, looking up at him, "But, I would love to go to dinner with you, Nathan. Perhaps Saturday night?" She suggested.
"Saturday night it is." He said. "Can I pick you up at 6:00, then?"
Julia looked at him, happy. "Yes. 6:00 on Saturday." She said.
"Good night, Jules." He said, as she started to slowly back up to leave.
"Sweet dreams, Lawman." Julia said, slowly letting go of his hand, and turning to go. She gave him one more little smile before starting the walk back to town. When she reached the corner where she turned to enter town, she looked back as usual, and gave him one final wave.