Love Is The Best Medicine (Stardew Valley - Harvey)

Chapter 44 - Skeletons

He met your gaze, his eyes filled with gratitude yet anxiety. "I hope you mean that," he whispered, his voice barely audible under his breath. You studied his posture. He was clearly uncomfortable. Shifting from the chair, he reached for his briefcase. Opening the lid, he pulled out the notebook, the pages tattered and near falling out.

Your heart skipped a beat as Harvey retrieved the notebook, a mixture of curiosity and apprehension coursing through you. The tattered pages seemed to hold the true reason to whatever was troubling him, making you feel uneasy. Lines of text and diagrams filled the pages, some neatly written, others hastily scrawled in a frenzy of thoughts. It was clear that whatever was written within these pages held great significance to Harvey, something he had kept hidden for reasons unknown.

He landed on a page. You glanced over at the notebook. It didn't seem any different to any of the other pages.

"I didn't leave university and come straight to the Valley, there were things in-between," he began, his voice sounding defeated. "I was a surgeon at the Zuzu city hospital." Your eyes widened in surprise as Harvey began to open up. His previous occupation was a revelation that shook the foundation of everything you thought you knew about him. The man sitting before you, with his gentle demeanour and dedication to his small-town clinic, had once been a skilled surgeon in a bustling city hospital.

"A surgeon!?" You replied, your shock evident in your facial expression and voice. 

"Yes. It was what I was trained to do," he continued, "I excelled in my studies, graduating at the top of my class in university, following in the footsteps of my father."

The revelation sent a wave of questions crashing through your mind. How had Harvey ended up here, in a small-town clinic, after achieving such success in the city earning top money? What had driven him to leave it all behind? And most importantly, why had he kept this part of his past hidden from you for so long? You kept quiet, letting him continue.

"It was a day in February, my third year. I had a heavy surgery that day, a heart surgery to be precise." His eyes faltered, gazing to the floor. "I had gotten chatting to my patient before he went in, a lovely man with a family of three, he had C.A.D, a heart disease which restricts blood flow to the heart to put it simply." Harvey's tone of voice was somber as he recounted the events of the day to you. 

"He went into surgery, everything was going well and we had successfully unblocked one of the arteries," he paused, his mind clearly racing. "And then, out of nowhere, he went into cardiac arrest on the surgery table. I panicked, my mind somehow unable to process what was happening." His eyes seemed glazed over, you hear the lump in his throat forming. You listened intently, holding his hand as he spoke.

"I was so foolish, what I instructed was wrong, he needed immediate defibrillation... but I hesitated." You could tell he was living out the scenario in his head on repeat in that moment, unable to rid himself of the thought. "By the time we were able to shock him, he was already gone..." Harveys voice trembled, as if he was holding back tears.

Your heart ached for Harvey as he recounted the traumatic experience, his words painting a vivid picture of the guilt and remorse he still carried with him. "I'm so sorry, Harvey," you whispered, squeezing his hand gently in a gesture of comfort and support. "It sounds like an incredibly difficult situation to have been in."

Harvey nodded, his eyes clouded with emotion. "It was the worst day of my life," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I couldn't save him, no matter how hard I tried, and it was my fault."

As Harvey's words lingered in the air, you sat in silence for a moment, allowing him the space to process his emotions. The weight of his confession hung heavily in the room, the gravity of his experience leaving you at a loss for words. "I couldn't handle the thought of his family, now without a father, heartbroken..." You felt crushed at his disposition, it was a hard and cold truth to have to live with.

"The notebook was my desperate attempt to relive the situation... I analysed every second through each page, trying to pinpoint where I went wrong." He held his head in his hands in defeat, his voice seconds away from breaking down completely.

Finally, you reached out, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Harvey, I can't even begin to imagine how difficult that must have been for you," you said softly, your voice filled with empathy. "But please know that it wasn't your fault. You did everything you could in that moment."

He remained silent, a singular tear cascading down his cheek that he quickly wiped away. He went to speak again, regaining composure. "My father told me that if I wanted to be a surgeon, I'd have to accept that some patients will die- but I couldn't."

His expression was heavy with the weight of his father's words. "I know he was trying to prepare me for the realities of the job," he admitted, his voice tinged with bitterness. "But I just couldn't shake the feeling that I had failed."

"You did everything you could," you reassured him, your tone unwavering. "And you've saved countless lives in your lifetime despite that one incident." You desperately tried to find the right words to say, trying to comfort him but also not downplay the seriousness of the situation.

He paused. His gaze softened as he took in your words, a flicker of gratitude shining in his eyes. "Thank you, Evangeline," he murmured, his voice tinged with emotion. "...for reminding me of that." You enveloped him in a silent hug, stroking your fingers through his hair from behind.

"I quit my job as a surgeon to become a doctor in a smaller town, something of which changed my life for the better." He pulled away holding your hands tightly to finish his story. "Which is why I get so stern about your health dear, what if I couldn't of saved you?" 

You could feel the sincerity in his grip, the vulnerability he revealed in his confession. It was a side of Harvey you rarely saw, laid bare before you in this moment of honesty and reflection. His words echoed in your mind, stirring a mixture of emotions within you. 

What if he hadn't saved you?