14 October 1920
Dear Diary,
Today marks one's first full week in Fir Creek, and it goes without saying that one's expectations have been rather exceeded. Whilst journeying out to this quaint little town, one couldn't help but be weary as to what the future had in store, but the more one sees and experiences, the more one feels a sense of being... at home...
This past week has been nothing short of eye opening; thankfully the volume of patients at the surgery picked up as time passed. Mary says this sudden influx of patients is due to a few of the older ladies at church spreading the word that there is a 'handsome new English doctor in town'. Though I don't know about all that, I was pleased to meet more people and gain their trust and confidence as their physician; something that is absolutely vital in order to be a small town doctor. But I won't lie and say that it hasn't been terribly overwhelming to meet and keep so many new people safe; nonetheless it came as much comfort to me to know this town is filled with such warm and hospitable people.
I've met Mr and Mrs Baker, who ironically enough own the bakery in town; he'd come in to have a rash seen to. Emily, a kind hearted young blond and admirably clever entrepreneur who owns the only restaurant and bed & breakfast in town, came in for a paracetamol prescription due to menstrual pains. I've also had the pleasure of meeting he Mayor, Mr Yates and his family; Mayor Yates came in first with a shingles outbreak that led to his children catching Chicken Pox from him. Mr Timmins, the town's greengrocer along with his wife and children had routine checkups. The McMurray sisters who are the town's very skilled dressmakers-come-tailors, and the surprisingly young but every charismatic Father Peter who is the vicar of the singular church in town ironically enough came in with a Bible cyst. I've also met a few of the lads who work at the mines, many of whom come in with minor mining-related injuries though I've noticed a few who have rather persistent coughs that I'll have to do a bit more inquiring into.
As the weather continues to grow colder and winter slowly edges its way across the plains, one finds that the frigid prairie winds easily penetrates the winter coats that I brought from home. But through it all one can't help but feel the figurative warmth of those around me keeping me shielded from the lonely winter chill. However the most welcoming of all Fir Creek's townsfolk would undoubtedly be Thomas and the boys It always warms my heart when Danny comes to say hello, or whenever I hold little Alfie in my arms and give him his bottle. But Thomas is a different story altogether...
At university one was always told that dreams were merely the neurones in one's brain firing randomly whilst one sleeps. I can't help but grasp on to that concept for dear life to keep any semblance of sanity. For my dreams as of late have been absolute torture. All I see is Thomas, his smile, his perfect rugged body, his muscles that I'd only seen in Greek statues.
He's perfection and though my mind tells me that there's no reason to think Thomas is one of 'my sort', my body and my hormones run absolutely mad at the thought of him. These thoughts torment me, because not only is he utterly unattainable, but these thoughts cloud my vision; And I can only hope that my little wretched heart may cope.
For as I write you, dear Diary, I'm sat at my desk watching out the glass windowpane with the slightest frost built on the other side, watching as a pristine blanket of the purest white snow covers the world around me; the first snowfall of the year and most notably, my first encounter with the priorly forewarned Canadian snowfall. And though my body craves the heat of a strong, musclebound Adonis like the handsome Constable, my mind knows that my bed shall remain cold...
Love, Henry.
Henry slipped on his tweed winter overcoat on top of his suit, frowning at the sight of the falling snow outside his window; he'd been warned of how harsh the winters here in the prairies were, but he never expected this. His tweed winter coat with it's measly mink lined lapel certainly sufficed in the mostly rainy winters with occasional snow he was used to back home, but the way the snow seemed to accumulate here was like something he'd only seen in Christmas cards. It was beautiful, but terribly inconvenient considering he had a house call to make later that morning.
He sighed grudgingly, not wanting to leave the warmth by the hearth in his room; but he knew he had to. Putting out the fire, he stalked down from his room, down to the kitchens as he hummed quietly to himself.
"Good morning." Henry felt his heart ache in his chest as a familiar voice beckons him; he glanced up towards the kitchen table to see Thomas in his uniform, cutting up little Danny's eggs, pea-meal bacon, and sausage into manageable pieces with a knife and fork.
"Good morning." Henry sang cheerily as he sat down at the table across from Thomas and helped himself to the platter of breakfast in the centre of the table.
"You seem to be in a good mood." Thomas noted with a polite smile.
"I'm excited, is all. I've got my first house call this morning." Henry was practically grinning ear to ear, he'd never taken a house call whilst working at the hospital, and there wasn't really much opportunity for house calls on the battlefield for obvious reasons. "I'm calling round to the McDonoughs."
"That's exciting." Thomas nodded to himself, taking a bite of his toast as his eyes silently glanced Henry up and town. Thomas hummed to get Henry's attention, reaching for a serviette to dab her cross around his mouth as he politely finished his morsel of food with a furrowed brow. "Hang on, you're not going outside like that are you?"
"Heavens, you sound like nanny." Teased Henry with a chuckle between bites.
"Nanny?" Thomas' deep brown eyes shifted to stare at Henry scrutinisingly as Henry realised he'd just made a potentially detrimental mistake to his false covert story.
"Erm... Nanny? Nanny as in Grandmother." Henry reiterated as calmly as he could, acting as though it were obvious. "It's what us common folk call our grandmother." Henry assured casually though he couldn't maintain eye contact as he lied straight to the Constables face.
"Ah, okay." Thomas nodded, giving Henry a false feeling of satisfaction that perhaps the handsome blond bought his falsities. "Anyway, you can't go out like that, you'll freeze."
"I reckon I'll be fine, it's got a fur trim." Henry assured him flippantly, earning him a cocked brow from the handsome uniformed constable.
"Open your coat for me?" Thomas asked curiously, letting out a disappointed huff as Henry opened his coat to show no fur lining. "No, no That won't do...Having only the fir trim isn't enough, have you anything lined with fur?" Thomas tutted, before bending down to glance under the table, noting immediately that Henry was wearing black leather boots. "As well, you can't go out in those boots, they'll be ruined. I'll tell you what, when we're done with breakfast I'll see what I can do for you."
"Oh erm... thank you." Henry smiled slightly, lowering his gaze down to his plate and prayed that he wasn't blushing; he'd never really had anyone who wasn't related to him or paid to care for him actually do so.
After breakfast Henry was lead by Thomas up to Thomas' bedroom and instructed to remove his fur lined tweed coat., he watched as the handsome blond in crimson red silently creaked open his cupboard and stared at it with narrowed eyes as though scanning for a single item in particular.
"There you are." Thomas muttered to himself, his eyes illuminating as he reached through to pull out a dark brown coat and turning back towards Henry. "This should do nicely. Let's see if it fits, eh?" Thomas dusted off the coat lightly and manoeuvred himself behind Henry. Henry's spine tensed up as he could feel Thomas' breath tickle the back of his neck as the man stood behind him and slipped the armholes of the fur lined coat over his limp arms.
Thomas moved round to Henry's front, pulling the fur trimmed lapel up over Henry's collar so it sat properly over his shoulders. Henry stared blankly up at the handsome blond as Thomas' manly hands still firmly gripped on the lustrous brown muskrat fur. Thomas' deep brown eyes fixated on Henry's sapphire blue gaze as Henry's eye darted between his widened and ladened with confusion; his lips lightly parted . Their breathing deep and slow as they stood petrified like statues; mindlessly staring into each others eyes. There was a mere inch between them, so close that they could feel the residual effect of each other's breath; yet in that moment the proximity was on neither of their minds.
Tension. pure hormonal chemistry permeating through the air as they stared into each others' eyes; as though nobody else in the world existed in that moment. Thomas' blinked his gaze back into focus, glancing down and immediately letting go of his grasp on the fur lapel.
"Sorry, I-I'm just used to dressing Danny, I got a bit ahead of myself." Thomas cleared his throat uncomfortably, taking a step back as he realised what he'd done.
"I-It's quite alright..." Replied Henry breathily, quick to regain his composure.
"Well, it fits." Thomas chuckled awkwardly, scanning Henry's body from head to toe as a smile tugged on the corners of his lips; there was something that he couldn't explain about seeing Henry in his clothes that clouded his judgement. "It's yours, if you'd like." Thomas scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Really?" Henry's eyes shot up to look at the dashing young Constable.
"Yeah, I um... I originally kept it for Danny when he got older but there's plenty of time for that. It was mine originally form when I was a teenager, but it doesn't fit me anymore." Explained Thomas as Henry glanced down at the fur trimming and the brown woven wool on the outer hem.
"I should think not..." Henry noted under his breath; the coat fit Henry perfectly with his smaller, slender five-foot-ten frame, and if he had to guess he Thomas was easily six foot two and built like a god. "Thank you so much, this is all jolly nice of you."
"You're most welcome." Thomas locked gazes with Henry once again. "And as for the boots, have you got anything waterproof? I'd lend you something of mine, but my feet are a lot bigger I don't think anything of mine would fit."
"Sounds promising, that." Henry mumbled under his breath, glancing down towards Thomas' boots with raised brows.
"Eh?" Thomas cocked a brow at him.
"Oh erm yes, I've a pair of wellies with wool lining, would that do?" Diverted Henry, remembering the pair of black rubber Wellington boots he'd unpacked only a few days prior. He usually wore them when it snowed back home, though he wasn't sure how he could possibly have forgot that he had them.
"That'd do brilliantly." Thomas nodded approvingly once again, sneaking one final look at Henry. He knew deep inside that he couldn't keep staring like he had done, but in a very different world, he'd have stared at the beautiful alabaster skinned boy all day. "Oh, and this!" His amber brown eyes illuminated once again as he shifted over towards the wardrobe and fished out a fur lined plaid black trapper hat; thoughtlessly putting it over Henry's straight black hair leaving only a tuft of his fringe visible in front. "Perfect."
Henry thanked Thomas once again before taking his leave; he had quite a busy day that day ahead of him as patient volume picked up and with his his first Henry's schedule was starting to get a little less boring. And for that he was truly thankful. He stopped by the surgery after slipping his Wellington boots to grab his brown leather doctor's bag with a gold plated buckle. He opened it to insure it was fully stocked with everything he could foresee himself needing for a routine house call; blood pressure cuffs, stethoscope, syringes, needles , the whole lot, before he finally made haste out the front door.
Henry gasped suddenly as he felt the frigid air hit him like a tonne of brick, and he had yet to venture past the covered porch. He treaded carefully down the steps and onto the snow as he felt the chill penetrate through his trousers; shuddering as he continued to trudge along the pavement. The snow continued to fall around him as Henry glanced around like a child in new surroundings; despite the bleakness of the chilly air, he couldn't help but fee
He shruggled his shoulders to seek refuge from the frigid breeze in his muskrat fur collar as he felt the warmth of Thomas' coat engulf him; the soft fur lining on the inside keeping him cosy on within it. But it wasn't just the physical warmth that kept him cosy, it was the smell. It had the faintest hint of Thomas' cologne mixed with the smell of wood; the sort of smell one would expect it to carry having being in a wardrobe for ages but mixed in amongst clothes that the young Constable would've worn recently. Henry sighed as his imagination began to wander, fabricating in his mind how it would feel to be embraced by the dreamy young Constable; ensnared by his warmth and engulfed by his scent.
Henry couldn't help but chuckle at how terribly silly he was being in that moment; the man was utterly unattainable, yet he couldn't help but want him with every fibre of his being. He continued along the path through the city's main street and towards the housing provided by the mine to the employees and their families; quaint little cottages built identically in an organised row alongside a gravel path. There was something terribly idyllic about them; the way the snow seemed to make them look like they were straight out of a Christmas card
Eventually he found the right house, the name 'McDonough' engraved on a plate next to the door indicating he was in the right place. Henry only knew that he was there to examine Mrs McDonough who was pregnant; which was why he insured he had a pinard horn in his bag to check for a foetal heartbeat.
Henry knocked on the sturdy oak door, stepping back as he waited patiently for someone on the other side to open it. Mere moments passed as he heard the hinges creak ever so slightly to reveal an older woman who appeared to be in her early forties peeking out and glancing around.
"Good morning, I'm Dr Dunmurry, I understand you requested a house call." Henry said with a polite nod, wathching as the woman flashed a smile though her eyes seemed to dart around nervously out onto the street.
"I'm Sophie McDonough." Mrs McDonough said emptily, as though her mind was miles away.
"How d'you do." Nodded Henry politely.
"I think it's best you came in." She made haste in ushering the handsome dark haired man into her home, scurrying behind the door as though utterly terrified that someone might see. "Thank you for coming today Doctor." She mumbled shakily as Henry smiled, though the older woman's clearly skittish, unsettled demeanour hadn't escaped him. He glanced down momentarily, noting Mrs McDonough wasn't showing, though he dismissed it considering he didn't know how far along she was yet; but then his ever attentive eyes caught a faint glimpse of the ribs of her corset underneath her frock which only added to the oddity of it all.
"Of course, Mrs McDonough. Now may I assist you with today?" Henry asked with a glint of reassurance in his sapphire blue eyes.
"You see... It's a bit of a delicate matter..." The woman said softly, her eyes refusing to meet with Henry's. "I wish to confide in you something, but it requires the utmost discretion."
"Ah, well you have my word that as your general practitioner it is mandated by the Royal College of Physicians that I should insure the utmost privacy and confidence whilst treating patients."
"That's good to hear." Mrs. McDonough said softly. "You see... It's my sister's girl.. She's the one who is... Pregnant..."
"Ah, that's not a problem at all, let's have a look shall we?" Henry flashed the woman a warm smile, though from the look in her tired eyes she didn't look very reassured. A part of Henry however was almost reassured; in those times a woman in her early forties having a child was considered a high risk geriatric pregnancy and the odds of survival weren't terribly good.
"My niece.. she's... not married..." The woman said, her eyes honed in on Henry's as though reading his reaction scrutinisingly.
"Oh, I see... Well..." Henry began to connect the dots as he kept his voice as devoid of judgement as humanly possible. "As a doctor, it's not my place to judge anyone."
"Thank you, Doctor. We appreciate it greatly. She's eighteen, going on nineteen. About six months along." The woman's body relaxed visibly as Henry's reassuring words seemed to put her at ease. She led him into a room where a young girl dark brown hair lounged leisurely on her bed donning a white nightgown. She was beautiful with a glow about her; that all too well known archetype of a pregnant woman radiating. But though her face was radiant, her eyes carried a look of lostness and an indelible look of pain.
"Hello..." Henry started, glancing towards the girls aunt as he realised he didn't know the girl's name.
"Eva." The girl said softly, glancing up to look at the handsome young doctor before lowering her gaze once again.
"Well hello, Eva, how d'you do." Henry nodded respectfully as the girl forced a smile that chillingly juxtaposed to her melancholic eyes. "I'm Doctor Dunmurry, and I want to assure you that I'll be here to care for you, and I want you to know that anything you confide in me will be held to the utmost patient confidentiality; you have my word on that..."
The girl glanced up again, her eyes still empty as she seemed to nod at the look of genuineness in Henry's eyes. He made sure she felt comfortable as he conducted the rest of the physical examinations; ensuring her blood pressure was normal, taking urine samples, and checking the foetal heartbeat.
"Ah! there you are..." Henry's eyes illuminated as he listened carefully through the pinard horn, the base of the conical device to placed over Eva's swollen belly and the narrow end in his ear. He glanced down at his watch to count the seconds and the heartbeat. "Well the baby seems to be healthy, but these samples will give more concise answers. Have you any questions or concerns for me, anything you feel might be abnormal?"
"Not really, I feel quite sick at times but Aunty Sophie say's that's normal." Eva admitted bashfully, periodically glancing up at the handsome man.
"Your Aunty is quite right, morning sickness is normal, I can prescribe anti-nausea medications if it's terribly ghastly, but we often recommend remedies in place of it." Henry explained as he made notes in his little notepad to take back and file in their patient record files. "Are there any other concerns either of you have?" He glanced up from his notes, his eyes darting between the girl in the bed and her aunt.
"No, I don't believe so." Eva glanced up at the ceiling in thought. "Thank you, Doctor."
"Can I get you a cup of tea, before you leave Doctor?" Eva's mother cut in with a warm smile.
"I would hate to impose..." Henry drawled politely.
"Nonsense! We always have a cuppa round this time, it'd be our pleasure for you to join us." Mrs McDonough insisted again, earning her a smile from the handsome dark haired man.
"Oh, well I supposed in that case I'd love to join you." Henry chuckled softly watching as the older woman smiled and disappeared off to put the kettle on. As they waited Eva slowly volunteered more information about her situation as she grew comfortable; she had a summer fling with a handsome farmhand her age who worked on her father's farm, and the rest was history. Henry simply smiled through her story, remaining as devoid of judgement as he could; he didn't envy Eva, for it was a difficult time to be an unwed mother, but at the same time he harboured no judgement against her.
"Alright Doctor." Mrs McDonoughs beckoned cheerily from outside the door as Eva thumbed away the tears pooling in her eyes as she recounted her story to Henry. "How do you take your tea." Asked the kind eyed woman as she walked in with a silver tray with a tea pot, tea cups, sugar pot, and milk. The clearly expensive bone porcelain china with roses painted on caught Henry's eyes as he noted how humble the family's means seemed, yet when it came time to serve Henry tea they broke out their prized china; and though most wouldn't have noted such a random detail, something about the gesture made Henry feel all the more welcome.
"Ah, yes. Milk and sugar for me." Henry smiled charismatically up at the older woman who grinned brightly at the handsome young doctor. She hastily poured the cup with a splash of milk and a spoon of sugar and handing it to the dark haired dashing doctor. "Thank you." Henry nodded with a smile as the woman blushed again.
"No, thank you Dr Dunmurry. W-we greatly appreciate your willingness to help." Mrs McDonough sank down into another chair, her hands nervously tugging at the hem of her apron.
"There's no need to thank me, it's my job to help my patients as best I can." Henry hummed, taking a sip of the hot tea and sighing as it's heat travelled down his throat.
"Oh! How rude of us, we were so engrossed in our own problems, we didn't even ask how you were settling in!" Mrs McDonough perked up curiously. "I hear you're staying in the living quarters above the clinic."
"Yes, yes I am." Henry nodded with a smile. "And I'm settling in quite all, thank you. Everyone here is so kind and warm."
"I take it the Constable is helping as well. He's such a kind hearted young man, our Constable. And handsome to boot!" Mrs McDonough clasped her hands together as she recounted what Henry already knew about the man who had taken over his thoughts at any given hour.
"Yes, Constable Wilson has been terribly helpful in getting me acclimatised to life in Fir Creek." Henry noted devoid of emotion, careful not to avoid admitting that he found Thomas handsome as well.
"As well, He's such a good father to those boys. And soon, I hear a good husband as well." Eva chimed in with a cheeky smile, as though ready to share a hot morsel of town gossip.
"Oh?" Henry choked on a sip of tea, quick to recover without seeming too shocked by that last bit.
"Haven't you heard? Well of course you haven't you're new here, how silly of me." Mrs McDonough whispered gleefully, leaning in towards Henry with a gossiper's glint in her eyes. "Rumour has it, the young Constable and Miss Emily are courting. They're often seen smiling and chatting round town."
"We think it's only a matter of time before we hear wedding bells!" Eva squealed excitedly as Henry felt this indelible sensation fo dread settle into his gut.
"Oh, how lovely!" Henry forced a smile, his voice going an octave higher than natural. "That's absolutely marvellous, I wish them all the happiness in the world."
Henry's smile wavered ever so slightly as he silently sipped his tea; staring down at the cup with his long dark lashes tickling his alabaster cheeks. He felt his mind racing to every moment he thought he shared with Thomas, every blush, every smile, every moment of pure sexual tension he felt; but clearly they were all wrong. Henry had never been wrong about a man being one of his lot, but clearly he was, in light of recent news. And though he knew this was rather a blessing in the grand scheme of things, it didn't keep him form feeling his heart cracking ever so slightly deep within his chest.