Love You Forever & Always

Chapter 6

Jamie's POV:

Before he could understand what is going on the girl in front of him is hugging the mother earth, it is Noah's scream that jolted Jamie and Samuel into action. They somehow took off her heavy backpack and rolled her over so her head is now resting on Jamie's lap. Samuel yelled at Noah to go and fetch his mother while Sam ran up to tap get some clean water for the girl as he sat there helplessly with this unconscious unknown girl on his lap.

Her face was dirty from sweat and mud and she is burning up from a high fever, he took out his handkerchief from the pocket of the track pants he was wearing to clean some of it. Even in this state, he could tell that she was once so beautiful and lively, her cheeks do not hold the glow most women in her age possess, her lips are chapped from dehydration and dust, her hair look week and lifeless and she was very pale and skinny. He could see tears forming in her eyes and flowing down her cheeks in her unconscious state telling this young girl has been through a lot in her life.

Esther, Samuel's wife who was helping out in the kitchen ran out upon hearing her son, she paused for a second as she reached confused at seeing an unknow girl laying lifelessly in the front yard with me sweating over her.  He could see that she going to scream now thinking the girl was dead so before she could do thet he called out to her, "She is alive Esther, please help me."

Esther took over my role relieving him from my awkward position he was sitting on, by then Samuel was back with the water. We tried to sprinkle some water over her face to see if she will come around. Apart from incoherent mumbling, she is completely out of this world, so Esther suggested to move her inside to one of the guest rooms.

Jamie volunteered to carry her inside because he know Esther's possessive side for her husband and doesn't want to land Samuel in any trouble. Esther lead the way while Samuel carried the girl's belongings followed by a Noah yelling 'Is she dead?' at top of his voice, completely ignoring his parents shushing him.

Once they got the girl inside Samuel set her baggage to a corner of the room and Esther asked Samuel to take Noah to his grandmother as she does not want him to contradict whatever disease the new girl has and also for some peace and quite till we deal with the situation. Esther stayed with the girl and cleaned the dust off her face with a wet towel.

"Is she a friend of yours Jamie?", she asked once the initial chaos settled and now the girl looks like she is in deep sleep.

"No, it's the first time I am meeting her.", he replied to her still wondering if he has met her somewhere, "but she behaved like she had known me for a very long time."

He dialled up their family doctor Dr.Nicholas Johnson, who has been their family doctor ever since he could remember. Dr.Johnson used to be his father's friend but once after graduation, he decided to stay back and serve his town, he has his own clinic in the town but he also makes house calls on special occasions.

"Dr.Johnson here", the doctor said as he answered the phone.

"Hello Dr.Johnson, this is James Howard from Misty Creek Ranch.", he introduced himself to the man.

"Hello Jamie,  Jason told me you are coming back home.", he said now recognizing me as his best friend's son.

"Well, home is a magnet that pulls us all back in right.", he quoted the doctor, from the little goodbye speech he gave on Jamie's graduation day, earning a hearty chuckle from him, "How is Jason doing?"

"He is doing great, busy with the court and his cases. Thank you for the flowers you send for the wedding.", Dr. Nicholas Johnson and adv. Jason Gerald is the first and oldest gay couple on the rocky mountains to tie the knot as gay marriages are legalized. Jamie has heard his grandfather talk about the plights the couple have been through to get accepted by their own parents back in the day. The community was not ready to accept them for a long time but as they both turned out to be best in their professions that the town learned to put away the differences and accept them into society. They have inspired many scared and lonely youngsters to come forward and accept themselves for who they are.

"I need a favour from you uncle Nick, will you be available for a house call during this time?" he dived straight into his actual reason for calling.

"Oh, yes. Things are slow in the clinic at this time of day and Jason has a court appearance today. Is everything alright?" he asked and he could already hear sounds in the back signalling the doctor is already on his feet and shuffling around his desk.

"I am not sure. It is not me or anyone from the farm, a new girl walked in a few minutes before asking for me, she behaved as she knows me well, but she fainted before she could tell me her name or how she knows me, she is running a fever and looks so weak," he told the doc before causing any confusion or worries. 

"A girl? ok, I am on my way," he said in a hurry before disconnecting the call.

He reached the ranch within half an hour, Samuel was back by then assuring Esther that Noah was happily playing with his grandmother's new puppies. Jamie met Dr.Johnson by the car and guided him straight to the guest bedroom where the young girl is resting currently.

"Did she came around even once?", he asked as soon he set down his back and get his stethoscope out.

"No, she hasn't, but she kept mumbling somethings which were not much clear to me," said Esther who has been sitting with the girl all this time, as the men went out of the room to give the doctor some space and quiet. All this time, he couldn't help but wonder how she knows him, a lot of faces flickered through his mind some old dates, owners of patients, even some of the faces from a coffee shop but none of them hold any resemblance to this young girl now resting at his guest room.

"Are you sure you do not know her?" Samuel asked out of the blue while he looks so lost in his thought.

"Yes, I am sure. We grew up together Sam you know there were never many girls in my life, and we had the same set of friends. College and the bachelor life as a veterinarian were not much different for me." he replied reassuring himself that he does not know this girl.

"But captain seems for familiar with her? Are you sure you haven't seen her around her when I was away?" he asked Samuel.

"Nope... I would have seen her if she is ever here, a red hair like that is hard to forget.", and before Jamie could say anything Sam warned him, "And don't tell Esther that I said that."

And they ended up laughing together.

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Hi friend,

Thank you so much fro your support for the previous chapter.

Please read, vote and give your feedback in the comments section. Hope you guys will like this new chapter.

love,

Niranjana Binoy.