"Love in the Great Pine Woods" by Gratiana Lovelace (2015-2016) (Completed)

Ch. 07 (PG-13, D): Healing Wounds

"Love in the Great Pine Woods", Ch. 07 (PG-13, D): Healing Wounds, November 30, 2015 by Gratiana Lovelace (Post #838)

(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, Viola Davis as Pauletta Perkins, Cicely Tyson as Nellie Newton, and 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: With Sam's youngest brother Todd being injured by a claw trap on the mountain--but safely found after our search parties combed the area for him--the focus is upon helping Todd heal. Yet a healing of a different kind--of the heart--needs to take place between Sam and Olivia--after Roger's revelation that Sam had a lover named Lola years ago.

"Love in the Great Pine Woods", Ch. 07 (PG-13, D): Healing Wounds

For Sam Wakeforest, his mountain has been a forgiving mistress--welcoming him home after WWII to its abundance, beauty, and peacefulness. That is, up until now, with his brother Todd nearly dying from exposure when he was injured by stepping into a rabbit claw trap on Saturday afternoon. Todd will have to be transported on Sunday to their state's nearest largest city of 50,000 in order to get the proper surgery Monday to repair the muscle and tendon damage that he sustained. He will walk again, but his recovery will take many months. Sam spends Saturday night at the hospital with Todd while Todd is under a mild sedation so that he can rest a bit more comfortably in preparation for his traveling on Sunday--mostly not to be alone with his thoughts about what has gone wrong with his relationship with Olivia Delaney.

And when Roger and Olivia had arrived home finally late Saturday night--and telling a relieved Tessa that her little brother Todd was found injured, but alive. Tessa had noticed that Olivia seemed upset, but she attributed it to the general worry over Todd. And Roger did not disabuse her of that misinterpretation. However, Tessa senses that something else is wrong, and her husband's tight lipped denials do nothing to allay her concerns.

So in frustration, Tessa seeks Olivia out by knocking on her bedroom door to have a heart to heart chat late Saturday night. At first, Olivia does not respond to the knocking on her door--she has been weeping and doesn't want anyone to see that. Then she worries that maybe their family's foster child Alice might need some help. So Olivia goes to her bedroom door and opens it--only to find her sister-in-law Tessa standing there. Seeing Olivia's tear stained red and blotchy face, Tessa rushes forward and envelops Olivia in her arms.

Tessa: "Olivia, sweetheart! What's wrong?"

Olivia: "Hmm. Hmm." Olivia whimpers.

Tessa: "I can only help if you tell me what's wrong." Olivia says nothing--too embarrassed to confide in her sister-in-law Tessa, who also happens to be Sam's sister. Then Tessa starts guessing. "Is it something to do with Todd being hurt?" Olivia shakes her head no and sniffles. "What about Sam?" Olivia slowly nods her head and looks up forlornly at Tessa. "Honey, I'm not a mind reader. You'll have to give me something. Roger didn't say anything was wrong when he came home."