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

Ch. 21 (PG-13, D): Going Home

"Love in the Great Pine Woods", Ch. 21 (PG-13, D): Going Home,   February 08, 2016 by Gratiana Lovelace (Post #870)

(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 Sunday, January 3, 1956—one day after Olivia's surgery to repair her avalanche injured left lower leg—she developed an infection at her surgical site. Happily, the Wakeforest County Hospital nursing staff and resident in training doctor acted swiftly with cleansing the wound and applying topical antibiotics to arrest the infection and its spread. Later that same day, Tessa and Roger helped Sam break the devastating news of Nellie Newton's death.

"Love in the Great Pine Woods", Ch. 21 (PG-13, D): Going Home

Olivia Delaney Wakeforest feels as if the weight of the world is on her with so much loss and worry over her injury at the start of her marriage to Sam—which should be a joyful time for both of them. But her husband Sam Wakeforest is right by Olivia's side, assuring her of his steadfast love and devotion. And Sam has agreed to the practicality of their moving into Delaney Manor for the two months of Olivia's convalescence after she leaves the hospital—since the manor is fully staffed and Sam's Wakeforest family home, though large, has been a bachelor's slightly disheveled domain for a long time.

Olivia's release from Wakeforest County Hospital to go home, comes none too soon for her on the following Saturday, January 9th, 1956. Though the hospital had wanted to keep her a full two weeks to allow them to give her more time with daily physical therapy in a hospital setting on her healing surgery from her left lower leg injured when the avalanche on Wakeforest Mountain overran part of their cabin, Olivia's spirits were so low—despite her determined efforts with her physical therapy—that her husband Sam decided that Olivia continuing her physical therapy in a home setting would be best for her. Olivia's brother Roger Delaney begrudgingly concurred after a little cajoling from his nurturing wife Tessa.

Roger's objection was not due to any worry on his part about the intrusion of Sam and Olivia on his family's privacy, or that he would be required to do things for his sister. On the contrary, Roger welcomes being of help to her. But Roger wants Olivia to receive the best medical care possible—with medical professionals close at hand. And Roger—and then by extension, Olivia's husband Sam—are worried about surgical complications and setbacks that Olivia might experience out of a hospital setting—given Olivia's earlier infection scare. So, of course, Sam will line up a private nurse to also live in—with Roger's and Tessa's permission--since Delaney Manor is five miles away from the hospital. They are fortunate to have the financial means to pay for this.