“Love in the Great Pine Woods”, Ch. 20 (PG-13, D): The Day After, February 01, 2016 by Gratiana Lovelace (Post #868)

(An original story copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace; all rights reserved)  [(1) story cover, left]

[From time to time, I will illustrate my story characters with:  Richard Armitage as Sam Wakeforest, Marcia Gay Harden as Sam’s older sister Tessa Wakeforest Shoop Delaney, and Emily Deschanel as Tessa’s sister-in-law Olivia Delaney Wakeforest, Viola Davis as Pauletta Perkins, Cicely Tyson as Nellie Newton, Anna Sophia Robb as Alice Trent, Kevin Spacey as Roger Delaney, Sam Heughan as Todd Wakeforest, Idris Elba as Dominic Perkins  and others as noted.]

Authors Content Note: “Love in the Great Pine Woods” is a mature love story with dramatic themes of love and relationships.  It will mostly be at the PG and PG-13 movie levels. Specific chapters or passages may have a further rating of:  L for language, D for dramatic emotions, and S for sensual themes.  And I will rate the chapters accordingly. If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide for a chapter, then please do not read that chapter. This is my disclaimer.  And as is my habit, I will summarize the previous chapter’s events at the beginning of the next chapter.

Authors Recap from the Previous Chapter:   On Saturday, January 2, 1956, Olivia Wakeforest was airlifted from Wakeforest Mountain to the Wakeforest County Hospital in the Town of Wakforest and she had her surgery to repair her leg. Injured when the mountain avalanche overran their cabin honeymoon retreat and a glass shard from a broken window embedded itself in her lower left leg.  But the extended Delaney and Wakeforest families were dealt a further blow when longtime family caretaker and retired housekeeper Nellie Newton died of old age while Olivia was in surgery.   Sam doesn’t know how to break the sorrowful news of Nellie’s death to Olivia–nor how she will cope with it, given her own serious medical issues.  But Sam vows to do everything in his power to be of comfort to his beloved wife, Olivia.

 

“Love in the Great Pine Woods”, Ch. 20 (PG-13, D): The Day After

Olivia Wakeforest had been given such powerful pain medicines and sedatives after her surgery to repair the wound to her lower left leg’s muscle, tendon, and blood vessels that she slept much of the evening of Saturday, January 2, 1956—and on into Sunday morning.  Roger and Tessa Delaney had taken their foster children Alice and baby Bobby home to sleep Saturday after seeing Olivia just after her surgery that went well.  But Olivia’s husband Sam Wakeforest has stayed the night with Olivia, him sleeping on the longish couch in her private hospital room.

Sam coaxes Olivia to eat a little breakfast around 9:30am Sunday morning, January 3^rd—the day after their ordeal in surviving the avalanche on Wakeforest Mountain, but which caused Olivia to become injured–as much to help her regain her strength as she heals, as well as, to delay having to tell Olivia about Nellie Newton’s passing.  Nellie had been a caring grandmotherly and a mothering influence upon Olivia—especially after Olivia’s mother died when she was just 19 years old in her second year of college.  All Olivia’s life–but especially for  the last 17 years–Nellie has been the constant comforting and mothering force in Olivia’s life.  And now Nellie has died in her 86^th year after a long and loving life.

But ever alert to other people’s feelings, Olivia notices Sam’s somber mood as they eat their breakfast.  Sipping her hot chocolate, Olivia glances at her new husband Sam whose gaze is focused upon his breakfast plate of toast, eggs and bacon.

Olivia:  “You’re rather quiet today, Sam.  Didn’t you sleep well on the couch?”  She scrunches up her nose—knowing full well that her tall and lanky husband would over tax most couches ability to contain him comfortably.

Sam: Looking up at her with a small smile, Sam winces.  “As good as could be expected–since I overflowed its dimensions by a bit.”  In truth, his head and body had lain on the seat cushions and his legs rested over one of the arm rests and dangled off to the side of the couch.  So Sam is feeling a little stiff this morning.

Olivia:  Smiling bemusedly despite her medicine dampened pain, Olivia observes.  “Only a bit?”

Sam:  “Well!”  Sam sheepishly rolls his eyes and grins at her.  Then seeing her press her lips together in what he rightly presumes indicates that she is in pain, he asks her caringly.  “Shall I ask the nurse to give you more pain meds, Olivia My Love?”

Olivia: “I …. I don’t think it’s time yet.”  Olivia sighs woefully.

Sam:  “Olivia, You must be close to time.  Let’s ask.”  Olivia nods her head hopefully and Sam pushes the nurse call button.  The nurse lady who had been with them yesterday afternoon after Olivia’s surgery is also their daytime nurse today.

Rushing into Olivia Wakeforest’s private hospital room because she knows that Olivia is her most urgent case in what is a small hospital of five patients in the surgical wing, the nurse asks kindly.

Nurse Mabel:  “How are we feeling after breakfast today, Mrs. Wakeforest?  Hmm?”  She fluffs up Olivia’s pillow for her.

Olivia:  “Hhhhhh!”  She sighs—in too much pain to articulate it.

Sam:  “Can you please give her something for the pain?” He requests pleadingly.

Nurse Mabel: “Let me just check her chart.”  She goes to look at the clipboard at the end of the bed.  “Oh!”  She purses her lips.

Sam: “What is it?”  He asks worriedly.

Nurse Mabel:  “It’s just that Mrs. Wakeforest had her last pain meds only 3.5 hours ago.  She isn’t due for more until another 30 minutes.”

Olivia:  “Hmmm.”  Olivia whines in pain and closes her eyes—trying to be stoic.

But Sam cannot stand to see Olivia in any pain.

Sam: “My wife is in so much pain.  Can’t you let her have the pain relief medicine now.” He pleads.

Nurse Mabel:  Walking further into the room, the nurse winces.  “The medicine intervals are for patient welfare.  And I’m a nurse, not the doctor.  I just administer her medicine.”

Sam: “But …”  The nurse interrupts Sam with a raised hand.

Nurse Mabel:  “But I will contact the doctor to see if we can give Mrs. Wakeforest her pain meds early.  In the meantime, let me bring in an ice pack.  It might help in numbing the area for her.” The nurse starts to walk back toward the door.

Olivia: “Thank you!”  Olivia sighs with relief.  “And I feel so hot, my leg feels so hot.”

Nurse Mabel: “It does?”  In alarm, the nurse goes back to Olivia’s bedside and gently moves the blanket and sheet aside.  Olivia’s lower left leg looks a little more swollen than it should after surgery.  And when the nurse places her hands hovering over the bandaged incision site, she can feel the heat emanating from Olivia’s infected wound.  “Mrs. Wakeforest, You might have a small infection that is causing your wound to overheat and you to feel more pain.”  Then she feels Olivia’s now perspiring brow and it feels warm—not hot, but definitely not a normal temperature.  “We must get the infection under control and you cooler.”

Sam: “What’s wrong?  What can I do?”  Sam [(2) right] stands as he looks at the nurse and then at his wife Olivia in concern.

Nurse Mabel:  “Hold your wife’s hand while I call the doctor and get the ice.”  The nurse states in a clipped manner as she rushes out of the hospital room.

Olivia: “Oh Sam!  What if I lose my leg?”  Olivia worries.

Sam: “That won’t happen!  I promise.”  But Sam is not a doctor.

Nurse Mabel returns in ten minutes—with ice for a cool compress for Olivia’s forehead and with reinforcements in the form of a young doctor in training.  With it being Sunday morning, the senior medical staff are on call, but not on site.

Nurse Mabel: “This Dr. Mark Blackwell, a resident in our hospital.  He assisted Dr. Carter with Mrs. Wakeforest’s surgery yesterday.”  She gestures to him.  Then she moves to the other side and places the soothing cool compress over Olivia Wakeforest’s forehead.

Dr. Blackwell: “Good Day!  Let’s take a look at Mrs. Wakeforest’s surgical site.”

Dr. Blackwell goes to the small hospital room sink and washes his hands in front of them.  The nurse does so as well.  Then the nurse helps the doctor put on sterile surgical gloves before examining Mrs. Wakeforest’s leg.  Sam notices that the doctor seems to have a slight limp as he moves about the room and he wonders.

Sam:  “Are you alright to treat my wife?”  Sam looks down at the doctor’s limping leg.  Olivia’s gaze follows her husband’s.

Dr. Blackwell:  “I’m fine.”  He states woodenly to both of them.  Then he glosses over it by saying.  “An old complaint.  Now let’s focus on Mrs. Wakeforest.”  He starts giving terse commands to the nurse.   “Nurse, Please give Mrs. Wakeforest a light sedative.  We are going to be cleansing her surgical incision with sterile saline solution and changing her bandages—which could cause her great discomfort without the sedative.”

Nurse Mabel: “Yes, Dr. Blackwell.”  The nurse nods and obeys.  Though the doctor resident is young—in his mid-twenties—he has ably tended to several of her patients.  So she has confidence in him.

Dr. Blackwell:  Then he turns back to Olivia.  “Not to worry, Mrs. Wakeforest.  Post-surgical site infections [(3)] are not uncommon.  We just have to keep on top of them.”  Olivia nods wincingly.

After administering the light sedative to Olivia via her IV, Nurse Mabel carefully unwraps Olivia’s bandaged lower left leg.  There is some pus and blood oozing through the last layer of bandages—and the leg is a little more swollen than it should be at this point.  The nurse puts a double folded towel underneath Olivia’s leg in preparation for the cleansing procedure.  She also drapes the sides of the wound with sterile cloths.

Dr. Blackwell:  Examining the wound, Dr. Blackwell is relieved.  “Hmmm.  Not so bad as post-surgical infections go.  It’s not red and inflamed. And the oozing fluids mean that your body is trying to rid itself of the infection.  That’s good.”  Dr. Blackwell pronounces for the Wakeforests’ benefit. Then he readies the saline solution squirt bottle and a gauze pad to catch the overflow.   “But still, we must clean the wound site, apply a topical antibiotic [(4)] , and put a new bandage over it.  Mrs. Wakeforest, This may still sting even with the light sedative we’ve just given you.”

Olivia nods and looks worriedly at her husband Sam.  Sam moves to stand by his wife’s side, but away from the medical staff—to give them plenty of room to work.  Sam takes Olivia’s hand that isn’t hooked up to the IV and he squeezes it as he leans down and kisses her cheek.  Sam stays there, leaning over, whispering comforting words in Olivia’s ear.

Sam: “Olivia My Love, They’re going to make you feel all better soon.”  He hopes.  “You’re being very brave, My Darling.  And soon, you’re coming home with me in a few days.  Then you’ll have me all to yourself as you convalesce.”  But Sam’s statements belie the fact that concrete arrangements for Olivia’s convalescent care have yet to be organized.

At first, Dr. Blackwell merely squirts the saline solution at the stitched wound site and he gently cleans around it.  Olivia winces in discomfort, but it is not anything she can’t handle.  But then as the doctor squirts more saline directly on the stitched incision and tries to gently wipe away the blood and pus, Olivia gasps in pain.

Olivia: “Hhhh!  Stop, please stop!”  Olivia cries out in pain and tears fall down her cheeks.  Sam cradles her shoulders as he tries to soothe and comfort her.

Sam: “There there.  I’m so sorry, My Love.  But he’s almost done.”

Unlike many physicians who would keep going—feeling that getting the procedure done quickly is better for the patient—Dr. Blackwell stops.   He does not want to cause any of his patients’ pain, if he can help it.  Dr. Blackwell  turns to the nurse.

Dr. Blackwell:  “The sedative alone is not enough and Mrs. Wakeforest is in too much pain for me to continue. Nurse, please bring me the portable anesthesia tank [(5)] and mask we use when setting bone breaks. We’ll knock her out for the minute that we are finishing cleansing her wound, so that she won’t feel pain.”

Sam:  “Is my wife able to have anesthesia?  We just had breakfast, though she didn’t eat much.”  Sam asks worriedly.

Olivia: “I only had some toast and jam and some hot chocolate.”  Olivia asks hopefully.  She just wants the pain to be gone.

Dr. Blackwell: “That should be fine.  This is a very mild general anesthesia—not as deep as what we use for surgery when we need the patient not to have eaten for several hours prior.  And we’ll bring her out of it right away.”

Nurse Mabel fetches the portable anesthesia tank and mask.  Then she adjusts Olivia’s bed to lift up the back and elevate her to a partial sitting position whilst receiving the anesthesia. This so that her airway doesn’t collapse since they are not intubating her.  Then the nurse places the anesthesia mask over Olivia’s nose and mouth, with the gas being administered at the lowest setting.  But it does the job and knocks Olivia out—with Sam holding Olivia’s shoulders steady so that she doesn’t slip to one side.  Then Nurse Mabel removes the anesthesia mask, and Olivia is placed on oxygen to supplement her breathing.

Working quickly, Dr. Blackwell cleanses the surgical incision thoroughly—even pressing the incision sides together a bit to force more infectious pus out.  That procedure would have been excruciating for Olivia if she had been awake.  The doctor doesn’t want to have to remove the stitches and open up the wound again if he doesn’t have to.  Then cleansing once more, Dr. Blackwell is satisfied that he has gotten all of the infectious pus when the wound appears clean and is no longer oozing.

 

Then Dr. Blackwell applies a topical antibiotic along the length of the surgical wound site with a sterile tongue depressor—him making sure to completely cover the stitched wound.  This procedure takes only about five minutes.  And Olivia is starting to wake up just as Dr. Blackwell bandages and wraps her surgical site—which was the site of her glass shard impalement.  Usually, doctors have the nurses do the bandaging.  But Dr. Blackwell is hands on as a doctor and he doesn’t feel it beneath him to tend to this aspect of patient care.

A groggy Olivia opens her eyes and looks at her husband who is leaning down next to her as she lies in her hospital bed.

Olivia:  “Hi Sam, Did I fall asleep?”  She asks sleepily as she turns her head toward his

head leaning on her pillow and she smiles [(6) right], then kisses him.

Sam: Looking quizzically between his wife and the doctor, he replies.  “Yes My Love, they had to cleanse your wound and rebandage it.  Don’t you remember?”

Olivia: “Oh?”  She doesn’t remember anything—including the pain that she had felt—a little blessing of the anesthesia.

Dr. Blackwell: “Memory loss isn’t unusuall Mr. & Mrs. Wakeforest.  Mrs. Wakeforest.  I’m Dr. Blackwell.  I assisted Dr. Carter with your surgery yesterday.”  He knowingly reintroduces himself to her.  “In addition to cleansing and examining your wound, I applied a topical antibiotic that has some numbing properties.  So you should be able to sleep and rest easier this morning.”

Olivia: “Thank you, doctor!”  Olivia sighs comfortably pain free for now.  “I do feel tired.  I think I’ll just take a nap.”  And she closes her eyes and dozes.

Sam: Standing up from his wife’s bedside and turning to the doctor, Sam asks worriedly and a bit brusquely.  “Should my wife be sleeping now?”

Dr. Blackwell:  Understanding about concerned husbands—especially new ones like Sam Wakeforest, Dr. Blackwell assures him.  “Mrs. Wakeforest  is doing fine.  When the anesthetic and antibiotic fully wear off in a few hours, we will reassess her wound healing then.  Hopefully, we have nipped in the bud any infection that was starting.”

As Dr. Blackwell turns to leave and walks toward the door, Sam notices the doctor’s limp again.

Sam: “Did you hurt your leg skiing?”  Sam has never been one to beat about the bush.

Dr. Blackwell:  “Not exactly.  I mean, I do ski and hike and such—I’m an outdoorsy guy.  It was one of the reasons that chose to do my residency here in your beautiful area—for its scenic vistas and the variety of leisure sports.  But to answer your question,  my limp is due to an illness with complications that I had as a child twenty years ago–and it necessitated the doctors amputating my left foot.”  Dr. Blackwell relates nonchalantly.

Sam:  “Oh! I’m sorry.”  Sam blanches.

Sam has a tendency to blunder his way into awkward moments now and again–sticking his foot in his mouth—as is the case now.  But Dr. Blackwell is accustomed to putting people at ease about his infirmity.

Dr. Blackwell:  “Me, too.  But it’s all water under the bridge.  And I have adjusted, learning how to live my life fully with my prosthetic.  It doesn’t limit me—nor does it define me.”  He intones purposely.

Sam:  “No, of course not.”  Sam nods respectfully.

Dr. Blackwell: “Because of my own experience, I hope to specialize in orthopedic surgery.  So I can help other people have less drastic outcomes than I did.”

Sam: “That is very commendable.”  Sam nods.  Then extending his hand, he shakes the doctor’s hand.  “Dr. Blackwell, We’re very grateful for your tender care of my wife Olivia.”

Dr. Blackwell: “My pleasure, Mr. Wakeforest.  I’ll be back after lunch in about four hours to check on Mrs. Wakeforest. In the meantime, you are in very good hands with Nurse Mabel.  She’s the best nurse I have ever worked with!”  He states sincerely and smiles at the blushing matronly lady.

Nurse Mabel: “Oh go on with you, doctor.”  She shoos him out of the room.  “Is there anything I can get you Mr. Wakeforest?”

Sam:  “May I make a call out at the nurses’ station?”

Nurse Mabel: “Of course.”

Sam makes a call to his sister Tessa regarding Olivia’s morning infection scare.  He also wants to ask Tessa how to break the news of Nellie’s death to Olivia.  Tessa tells Sam that she’ll be right over.  Actually, Roger wants to come, too, to see how his sister is doing.  So they pack up their foster kids fourteen year old Alice and baby Bobby to join them at the Wakeforest County Hospital.

***

When Tessa and Roger and the kids arrive at Olivia’s private hospital room about an hour later, the door is cracked open.  They see Sam sitting next to the bed and holding the sleeping Olivia’s hand.  Sam sees them and silently waves to them that he will join them.  Sam wants to let Olivia sleep as long as he can.  After walking into the hospital corridor, Sam is hugged by his sister Tessa and shaken hands by her husband and Olivia’s brother Roger Delaney.  Sam’s foster niece Alice sits off to the side on a bench with a sleepy baby Bobby in her lap.

Sam: “Thanks for coming.”  He tells them sincerely.

Tessa: “How is she?”  Tessa [(7 right] asks worriedly.  Then they all look into the hospital room at the sleeping Olivia.

Roger: “She looks so pale.”  He worries.

Sam:  “She is resting comfortably now.  After they cleansed and bandaged her wound while she was under a mild general anesthetic, Olivia went back to sleep. And though she was due for more pain relief medication thirty minutes ago, we’re waiting until she wakes up and the numbing effects of the anesthesia wears off.”

Roger:  “Maybe we should wait to tell her about Nellie.  She’s been through so much already.”

Tessa: “No. She has to know before anyone other than family accidently tells her.  That would be more devastating to her.”

Sam: “I agree.  And with Olivia being in the hospital, we should do it when she is not in pain.  Otherwise, her injury pain coupled with the sorrow of learning about Nellie could send her into a breathing attack.”  And by breathing attack, Sam means one of Olivia’s panic attacks that causes her breathing to become erratic and she usually faints due to hyperventilating.

Sam has become adept at soothing his love Olivia to help her prevent an attack or to help soothe her to come out of it, when most men would have deemed her emotional outbursts as too much trouble and left long ago.  But Sam loves Olivia—even the unpleasant and worrisome bits.  Just as Olivia overlooks Sam’s often gruff ways and manner—her smoothing him out socially.

Nurse Mabel walks past them into Olivia’s room to take her vital signs.  Having her hand raised to check her pulse and her heart listened to, rouses Olivia.  And she requests her pain medicine, and Nurse Mabel administers it.

Then Olivia’s family comes into her hospital room.  Sam goes instantly to Olivia’s right side and perches on the bed, putting his arm around her shoulders in a light embrace.  This is not going to be easy.

Olivia: “Hello everyone.”  Olivia smiles wanly.

Olivia’s brother Roger and his wife Tessa stand at the foot of Olivia’s bed.  Alice and Bobby sit patiently on the couch off to the side.

Tessa: “Hello, Olivia Dear.  How are you feeling?”

Roger: “Yes, how are you feeling?” Olivia’s brother Roger [(8) right] asks stiffly, but he is truly concerned for her welfare.

Olivia: “Truthfully?”  They all nod. “Tired and sore.”  She sighs and Sam kisses her forehead.

Sam:  “Olivia is being a trouper.  But I’m sure she’ll feel much better once I get her to our own home and she can relax without being prodded every hour.

Sam wants to take her home and have her all to himself.  Yet, that isn’t necessarily practical.

Tessa: “Oh!”  Tessa looks at her brother Sam in surprise.  “We were going to offer to have you and Olivia stay as our guests for a little while—until she gets on her feet again.”

Sam: “That’s kind of you, Tessa and Roger.  But you have enough to handle with the kids and all.”  Sam demures vaguely.

Olivia: “Yes, but Sam.”  Olivia looks up at him shyly.  “We haven’t had time to organize our Wakeforest home with staff to help run it.  And I’m in no shape to worry about that right now.”

Sam:  “Oh!”  Sam sighs.  “You want us to go home to your brother’s house?”  Sam pouts.

Olivia: “Just for a little while, Sam.  Please?”

Tessa: Interjecting, trying to be helpful, Tessa suggests calmly.  “It does make sense, Sam.  And there will be plenty of people around to care for Olivia when you have to get back to the mountain.”

Olivia grips her husband Sam’s hand tightly in fear.

Olivia: “Must you go back to the mountain?”  She bites her lower lip as she pleads with him.

Sam: “Eventually.  I am the mountain’s steward.  It is under my conservatorship.  And with Todd laid up, we’re already down one person at the Wakeforest Tree Farm and at our Lumber Mill. “  Olivia shakes her head, fretting.   “Now shhh.  Shhh!  I’ll be alright, Olivia.  I promise.  Nothing will happen to me.”

Noticing his sister Olivia’s reaction to her husband Sam saying that he will return to the mountain, Roger Delaney says soothingly.

Roger:  “Olivia, Sam is a seasoned forester. He can take care of himself.”

Then knowing that they have all been delaying what they really came to tell Olivia, Tessa goes over to Alice and lifts sleeping baby Bobby into her arms.  Bobby [(9) right]  is a little blond curly haired cherub. Then Tessa walks Bobby over to Olivia’s bed and asks.

Tessa: “Would you like to hold Bobby?  He always makes me feel better.”

Olivia: “Umm.  I’m not sure I can with my one arm having an IV in it.”

Sam:  “Here.  I’ll hold Bobby between us resting in your right arm.  That way you don’t have to strain to hold him.”

Olivia: “Thanks, Sam.”  She smiles.  And Olivia seems to brighten having the sleeping Bobby in her arms.

Tessa embraces Alice as she and Roger stand at the foot of the bed.  They are all looking at Olivia.

Olivia: “What?  I know I don’t look my best, but …”

Sam:  “It’s not that, Olivia.  We’re all just glad that you’re going to be okay.”

Olivia: “Then what is it?”  Olivia looks at her husband Sam, her brother Roger, and her sister-in-law Tessa.

Roger and Sam turn to Tessa.  It will be she who has to break the news to Olivia.

Tessa:  “Children are life renewing itself.” [(10)] Tessa pauses.

Olivia: Olvia’s eyes widen. “Tessa, you don’t mean that you’re …” Olivia wonders if Tessa is pregnant, and she looks at her brother Roger, who squirms under her gaze.

Tessa: “Ha ha ha.  No, no. Just that, the children who come into our lives give us purpose and meaning.  Alice and Bobby are a very great blessing to Roger and I in that regard.”  Tessa hugs a smiling fourteen year old Alice [(11) right] from behind as Alice leans back into her, feeling safe and loved.   “Just as you were a great blessing for Nellie.”  Olivia looks at Tessa in uncomprehending shock.  “Nellie’s last words to me before we went to the mountain to rescue you and Sam Saturday morning were that she asked me to tell you that you have been her joy.”

Beginning to understand, Olivia’s eyes fill with tears and she cradles Bobby closer to her.  And Sam kisses Olivia’s cheek where her tears are falling.  Olivia focuses upon Tessa’s phrasing in the past tense.

Olivia: “Have been.”  Olivia doesn’t  phrase it as a question, because she intuitively knows.

Roger: “Olivia, Nellie took a turn for the worse yesterday and we brought her to the hospital.  She died yesterday afternoon—Tessa and I were with her when she passed.”

Olivia: “No.”  Tessa wails is quiet despair because she doesn’t want to scare Bobby still sleeping in her arms.  “Why couldn’t she live a little longer and see Sam’s and my children when we have them?”  She asks in a hushed whisper.

Tessa:  “It was her time, Olivia.  Nellie was at peace knowing that Sam will love and cherish you.  She wanted this for you, to love and to be loved in return.  She is happy now.”

Sam: “I’m so sorry, My Love.”

Olivia:  “You knew, and you did not tell me?”  Olivia leans a bit away from Sam, but not much because she is holding baby Bobby and she cannot jostle her arm with the IV in it.”

Sam: Sam gently pulls Olivia back into his embrace.  “I didn’t know how to tell you, My Love.  And you have only been more alert this morning.  But then you had your wound  infection crises.   And last night, you slept mostly.”

Olivia: Olivia nods in understanding.  “I dreamed that I would be going home to Nellie to get well.  Even though I knew she was too frail to really take care of me.  Somehow knowing she would be there, helped.  But now she won’t be there.  I have no mother nor grandmother again.  I feel like an orphan.”

Olivia bursts into tears and she sobs for the loss of Nellie.  Roger and Tessa mournfully look at Olivia.  They have had one day to accustom themselves to Nellie’s death, but it is still hard to lose her. Sam cradles Olivia in his arms while still supporting the sleeping baby Bobby lying in her arms.  And with feeling slightly squished, Bobby begins to wake up.  He sees that he is with his Aunt and Uncle and he reaches up and touches Olivia’s cheek where her tears are falling.

Bobby:  “Auntie?” The eighteen month old boy is small for his age due to poor nutrition before they became fostered by Roger and Tessa Delaney.  But Bobby is learning things very quickly.  And he knows crying when he sees it.  “I kiss and make it better.”

Bobby has heard his older sister Alice and now his foster mother Tessa say this often when he has a boo boo.  Bobby opens and closes his mouth several times—looking like a gaping fish, which makes Olivia smile.

Olivia: “Thank you, Bobby.  I could use a kiss.”  And Olivia leans her head down to him and Bobby strains upward and kisses her chin– with a fair amount of slobber on his part.

Sam:  Kissing Olivia’s forehead—to make it better—Sam says soothingly in his deep velvety voice.  “We all love you, Olivia.  And we promise to help you get well.  If us living with Tessa and Roger for a few weeks will help you get better, then that is what we will do.”

Olivia:  “Thank you, Sam.”

Olivia replies wanly, but her tears still fall and Sam kisses her again.  He will embrace and kiss his beloved wife as much as she needs.  The Sam Wakeforest of even two months ago—before he and Olivia connected and started dating—would not have been this tender.  But his love for her and her love for him has changed Sam in profound ways that he realizes now have transformed him into a loving and loved husband—for which, he is very grateful.

Olivia’s brother Roger walks to her right non-injured side and takes her right hand in his.

Roger: “Olivia, we will wait to arrange Nellie’s funeral until you’re feeling better in a week or two.  Nellie had no family that we know of besides us.  And we will have the memorial service at our home so you can attend while you are convalescing.”

Olivia: “Thank you, Roger.”

This has been a most stressful day for Olivia with the dangerous infection and now her learning of her dear Nellie’s passing.  But Olivia vows that she will move forward in her recovery and become well and walking again.  Life has given Olivia Delaney Wakeforest more than her fair share of heartache and disappointments.  But Olivia focuses on having the best of life, now that Sam and she are husband and wife.  She just has to heal first.  And Sam will be there by his wife Olivia’s side, every step of that healing process.

To be continued with Chapter 21

 

References for Ch. 20 by Gratiana Lovelace, February 01, 2016 (Post #868)

1)  The “Love in the Great Pine Woods” story cover is a composite of two images manipped by Grati:
a) the Richard Armitage portrait is from the 2011 Project Magazine photo shoot and article interview, that was found at http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/images/gallery/Richard/Promos/ProjectMagJuly2011/album/slides/ProjectMag-05.html;
b) the snowy Pine forest vertical image was found on Pinterest at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/62/fa/ff/62faff1253d55f571eb3659cc7661e73.jpg

2) Sam Wakeforest is Richard Armitage Closeup in 2014 The Crucible Rehearsals  was found at http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/images/gallery/Theatre/Crucible/album/slides/Rehearsals-9.html

3)  Information about post surgical site infections (SSI) may be found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0010047/

4)  For information about antibiotics, please visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibiotics

5) For information about general anesthesia, please visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anesthesia

6) Olivia Delaney Wakeforest smiling  is Emily Deschanel found at http://images1.fanpop.com/images/photos/2400000/Emily-Deschanel-emily-deschanel-2478681-497-600.jpg

7) Tessa Delaney image is Marcia Gay Harden at a 2008 Badgley-Mischka fashion show found at http://www1.pictures.gi.stylebistro.com/Marcia+Gay+Harden+Boots+Mid+Calf+Boots+04Zh6GnJ1wZl.jpg

8) Roger Delany is Kevin Spacey in Call of Duty found at http://cdn2-www.playstationlifestyle.net/assets/uploads/2014/07/callofdutyadvancedwarfarescreenshotjuly294.jpg

9)  Eighteen month old year old baby Bobby image is represented by an oil painting labeled, Per Google search: Vintage Dennis Frost Oil Painting Portrait Blue Eye Boy Illustrate in Book DAVID” was found at http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/m9qlbLbMEEkpzbNhyVFNcTw.jpg

10) “Children are life renewing itself.” was said by the character Melanie Wilks in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind” http://www.metacafe.com/watch/an-BwpfbJmmmbhn7u/gone_with_the_wind_1939_melanie_advise_rhett/

11) Alice Trent  smiling is Anna Sophia Robb and was found at http://images1.westword.com/imager/annasophia-robb/u/original/6557239/annasophia.robb.photograph.jpg

 

Previous Blog Ch. 19 Story link:

https://gratianads90.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/love-in-the-great-pine-woods-ch-19-pg-13-d-my-beloved-wife-olivia-january-23-2016-by-gratiana-lovelace-post-864/