A Time To Love

Chapter 17: "The Affair"

Another day. Another checkup. It seemed as though they were becoming even more frequent, too. Audrey was never allowed into the room again for Miss Wilson's checkups after that first time. Daniel had been adamant that Rosalie was not expecting, so if that was the case, what could it possibly be? What would make a doctor go completely against protocol? What would serve as a reason to not allow your nurse into the room? It all seemed wrong. Perhaps the sensitive thing that Rosalie was hiding was much more scandalous than Audrey had first suspected.
Audrey could hear them in the room, as Dr. Pruitt performed Rosalie's 'check-up'.
"Oh, doctor! That's just the spot!" Audrey could hear her say, in the most elated tone too.
Most of the time, Audrey was sent outside of not just the examination room but the building all together, but on rare occasions, Dr. Pruitt and Rosalie would be so excited to begin their appointment that they'd forget to send Audrey away. Today was one of those days, much to Audrey's demise.
It was almost as though they thought Audrey to be too innocent, too naive, to realise what was going on behind that closed door. Maybe they figured Audrey was too nice to say anything. Besides, what true evidence did she have of the affair? How could
she say for certain? Perhaps they were both innocent, and the check-up was just that; a check-up. Audrey wasn't one to spread gossip, but she was also too honest to keep something like this to herself. No one needed to know, though, except for one person, and Audrey intended to tell him.
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She went looking for him, first and foremost, checking the bar, but he wasn't there.
She checked his apartment, but he wasn't there either, so she headed to his place of work. She hoped and prayed he'd be there, and it seemed as though God had answered her prayers, as she noticed him walking out of the factory, headed home for the day.
"Daniel!" She called out to him. "Daniel, wait!"
He looked over his shoulder to see her running up to meet him, "Audrey, what are you doing? What's wrong?"
She hunched over, trying to catch her breath, before saying, "I have to...tell you something, Daniel."
"What? Tell me." He grabbed her arms and straightened her up so he could look her in the eye. "Is everything okay?"
"I-I...I don't know how to answer that, Daniel." She admitted, before continuing, "Do you remember what I told about Rosalie awhile back?"
"Yes. Is she okay?" He asked, to which Audrey nodded her head and replied simply, "Yes."
"So, what's the problem then?"
Audrey searched her mind for the right words to say, but she realized the only thing she could say was the truth, "Daniel,...I think Rosalie and Dr. Pruitt are having an affair."
"What?" Daniel was taken aback, "Why would you think that?"
"Because it's all so weird. She was completely fine the first day she came in, but now she has to have frequent check ups, that I'm not allowed in the room for, even though I'm supposed to be. It's truly ridiculous. I'm his nurse, after all!" Audrey felt a fiery flame burning up in her. She was so frustrated. Daniel had never seen her this way before. He didn't know what to make of it. She calmed herself though and added, in a sheepish tone, "Not to mention all the weird sounds I hear coming from the room when they're in there."
Daniel just shook his head, trying to process it all, "You must be mistaken."
Audrey looked up at him, her mouth gaped open, "What?"
"Rosalie wouldn't do that to me."
"Daniel, I'm not making this up. I wouldn't lie to you, and you know that." Audrey responded, as tears of frustration welled up in her eyes, "I didn't tell you till now cause I wanted to make sure. I could be wrong. I could be, but what if I'm right,
Daniel? What, then? I don't want to see you hurt."
"I'm sorry, Audrey," He began as he lowered his head, avoiding her desperate look, "I just can't find it in myself to believe that it would be true."
Tears fell from her blue eyes, making the image of him now blurred, "Daniel, don't do this..."
"I'm sorry. I have to go."
He left, and she didn't run after him or call out to him. She just stood there and watched him leave, as all the emotions she had been bottling up from the last few months came out in that moment. She was frustrated and mad. Most of all, she was hurt. She felt betrayed. As though her best friend had deserted her. What hurt the most, though, was that he didn't even know how much it affected her.
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There seemed to be a divide among the Harris girls. Irene, not long after David's dismissal of her, found another named Louis Fellnar. He appeared to be a nice young man. Smart, and kind. Not the usual type Irene would normally go for, but
they surprisingly got on well after meeting in one of their college classes. Perhaps Irene needed someone more, how do you say, average. She always tended to shoot for the stars.
Emily was in high spirits, too, after announcing that her courtship had now turned into an engagement, although they'd wait till a suitable time to have the wedding.
Katherine made them promise they wouldn't have it before the baby was born, which they happily agreed to cause the last thing they wanted was Katherine going into labour on their special day.
Although some were happy, not all were. Rachel finally told Audrey what had happened the evening that Katherine had announced the news of her pregnancy.
Rachel admitted that Arnold had ended things with her cause he expected she'd have much more money than she really did, from all of her book sales. It would seem as though Arnold had been a train conducter at one point, but was no longer, and was only using Rachel as an easy way to make sure that he was taken care of for the rest of his life. It was a strange and heartbreaking situation, one that Rachel admitted was only made better by the support she received from Caleb and his
father, James, during it. She didn't know where to turn after having her heart broken that day, so she went to them, and the same way they did that rainy night almost two years ago, they took care of her. Just like they always do. The heartbreak had returned, though, when Rachel learned the news that Mr. Ward had fallen ill due to a heart problem. Caleb would be taking his place as head pastor until he was well again. Rachel was no longer one to pray, for she had not believed in God since what happened with her first love, but she dropped to her knees in prayer the night she
found out about Caleb's dad. She begged and pleaded for him, as though she was praying for her own parent, for she had grown to love him like one.