Spring 17, Year 1
You woke again, becoming somewhat accustomed to the newly adapted 6am routine.
It had been a few weeks since you moved to Pelican Town. You had learnt and remembered nearly everyone's names, and you had made your first profit on your produce. You had expanded your actual crop area and now it held 60 crops instead of just 20. You had even received a letter from the SVT, congratulating you on your quick progress on the farm.
You looked outside, and it was raining. No, not just raining, pouring. Your crops didn't need watering today and part of you felt relieved knowing you could relax. However, you didn't want too at the same time.
Clint had mentioned the mines to you, at the far right of the town. You glanced at your pick axe and sword.
"Oh god, this could be stupid but hey, why not?" You sighed looking down at Milo led by you on the sofa.
-
The rain hammered down relentlessly, pelting against your skin with cold, heavy drops. You tried to dodge the raindrops, huddling beneath trees as you passed them, but it was no use. Before long, you were soaked through to the bone, your clothes clinging to your skin and your hair plastered to your head. It felt vile, like your body was in some sort of shock. You shivered, the rain had soaked it's icy wet into your skin.
Finally you saw the opening to the mines. You rushed to shelter inside, panting as you reached the first ladder. As you ventured into the mines for the first time, you felt a sense of trepidation mixed with excitement. The darkness was oppressive. You were armed with a pickaxe and a sword, ready to face whatever dangers may lie ahead.
Climbing down, you were met with a small cave that had some rocks and what looked like copper ore in it. You marched over confidently and tried to break the stones apart. After 20 minutes you finally broke your first ore, claiming the copper as your own. A feeling of pride washed over you, you were finally being brave enough to branch out and explore the little perks of the valley such as these mines. The first few levels of the mine are relatively easy to navigate, with small groups of rocks and gemstones scattered throughout. But you had heard that the deeper one descends, the danger level increases each layer, eventually forced to confront creatures like slimes, bats, and other monstrous creatures. You did not want to become overconfident with your ability to swing a small yet heavy sword.
As you reached the third level, you spotted a green slime looking creature across the cavern. You were certain you could just avoid it by not getting too close, but unaware to you at the time, slimes have the ability jump and ambush you when they are in a pack.
You strode over to your next ore, copper gleaming through the torch light.
Suddenly the air grew colder, and the sounds of creatures scurrying and slithering in the darkness became more pronounced. You were on high alert, scanning your surroundings for any signs of danger. But that's when it happened...
Several green and blue slimes ambushed you at once, pouncing on you from behind.
You tried to fight them off, but they had managed to push your now fragile body to the rocky floor. When you first saw the slime by itself, you never thought for a second there would be several trying to kill you seemingly out of nowhere. How were you to know? As the monsters closed in around you, you started to realise that you may have pushed yourself too far for your first mine trip. You seemed to let your ambition and determination get the best of you, and now you were paying the price of that gamble.
Thinking fast, you cast your sword and managed to fight back, knocking the slimes off of your limp body. Using adrenaline, you managed to stand and swung your sword back killing at least two of the slimes. You had found that the best way to deal with the slimes was to keep moving, dodging their attacks and striking back with quick, precise blows. As you fought, you started to develop a sense of rhythm, anticipating their movements and responding with calculated strikes. You had successfully fought them to the death, eventually killing the last one with a a huge relief. You had saved yourself from certain danger.
Or had you?
The adrenaline had carried you for the entirety of the fight you had just endured. Noticing, you quickly jumped into the next shaft below which was empty, a singular torch in your hand illuminating the barren cave. You slumped down onto the floor, out of breath and bleeding from your head and leg. You noticed a huge gash on your left leg, the pain slowly setting in as the adrenaline wore off. You shivered, your clothes still wet from the outside rain. You felt your eyes go heavy, your body numb. And before you had a chance to even try and fight for your safety once more, you had passed out.
You were now extremely vulnerable, damp and cold, and also loosing blood from your leg.
-
Darkness.
You felt as if you were no longer in your body. It was strange.
You begun to regain your senses. There was a sharp ringing in your ears. You felt groggy and disoriented, matched with a pounding headache and a sense of shame and embarrassment. You couldn't believe that you let yourself get into such a dangerous situation without evaluating the possibility of getting injured, vowing to yourself to be more careful and mindful in the future.
You take a deep breath, trying to calm your racing heart, and look around the room. It's small and clean, with a few medical tools and supplies scattered around. You realise that you must have been brought here by someone who had found you unconscious.
"Have I died finally?" you murmured, slowly opening your eyes surrounded by bright light.
"Miss Rosingdale! Thank goodness you are awake!" A familiar voice exclaimed. It was Maru. "I'll go get the Doctor right now! He's been so worried!" Maru quickly dashed out the room, leaving you alone to study your injuries. You looked down at your leg, a thick bandage around your calve. Oh no... You were in serious trouble and you knew it. You tried to move your leg to express that you were fine, but as soon as you did try, you let out a scream of pain.
Your leg was in agony and your head was pounding.
"Miss Rosingdale! Don't you dare think about moving!" Another familiar voice explained. Doctor Harvey rushed to your aid alone, sighing as he monitored your vitals. His hair was all over the place, almost as if he had been working hard at something.
"Miss Rosingdale, what the hell were you thinking!?" He exclaimed, clearly angry at you but also concerned and compassionate. The underlying anger in his tone further highlighted that concern.
"Clint said the mines had all sorts of cool stuff to find." You mumbled, slightly embarrassed. It wasn't your fault for being curious.
"Not only were you badly hurt, you were soaking wet! Any longer and you would have contracted a severe case of hypothermia." Harvey raised his left eyebrow, awaiting your response.
"It's not that bad Doc, look I'm okay!" you mentioned as you tried to sit up, however finding yourself hissing at your pain once more.
"Don't you dare try and move, it's best you rest." He sighed. "You were alone, vulnerable, soaking wet and so badly injured that you were losing a sufficient amount of blood to kill you, Miss Rosingdale, you don't seem to understand how serious this is." He paused for a second, unsure of what tone of voice to use. He slicked his hair that had drooped over his forehead backwards into its usual style. "You could have died."
"Died!?" Your body shivered at the thought of shaking hands with death, knowing that you had merely missed that horrific fate due to the luck and kindness of the townsfolk around you, including the Doctor.
"I stitched your wound together. You'll be fine after some rest. You had an abrasion on your head however, so you may have a minor concussion for the next following days." He sighed once more.
"Thank you..." You muttered, guilt washing your cheeks red. "Who found me?" You questioned.
"Robin," He began, "she was nearby collecting wood from the forest when she noticed a lit torch illuminating the entrance to the mines. She called Marlon who managed to rescue you and bring you to me at the clinic. If you were any further down in the mines, you may have been unreachable."
The reality of how lucky you truly were began to set in. And you felt a sharp lump in your throat begin to arise.
"You may have been stupid to venture in to those mines unaware of the dangers before you, but you are not to blame. You were not to know." Harvey sighed, somewhat realising that you must of been terrified beyond belief hearing about your state before your miraculous rescue. If this was his way of putting your mind at ease, it was failing.
Sighing, you turned away from Harvey. You and the Doctor were alone in the hospital ward, the only other sound being that of the beeping of the machines monitoring your vital signs. Your injuries could have been a lot more serious if they had gone untreated, a point only reinforced by the Doctors reoccurring worry.
Your mind wondered. In a different universe and in another life, you might have already been a lost soul floating through the halls in the endless cycle of rebirth...
Harvey seemed to have no concept of reassurance, almost as if he was unaware that his choice of words were not as comforting as he thought they were, but you know he meant well.
You glanced up, a worried yet blank look on your face, your mind foggy.
Dr. Harvey began to check your pulse and blood pressure whilst you lay silent, asking you questions about your medical history. You answered as best you could from your bare recollection, still feeling dazed. He nods thoughtfully, making notes on a clipboard, before turning back to you to continue examining you.
As he did so, you couldn't help but notice how attractive he truly was.
You've always found him to be charming and friendly, but now that he was up close, you could see the gentle lines of his face and the determination in his eyes that proved the passion he had to help you. His seemingly overbearing caring words, matched with a warm manner, instantly put you at ease, something you weren't used to in men.
As he finished up the exam, you found yourself stealing glances at him, admiring the way he moved and spoke. You felt a flutter in your chest, a sense of attraction that caught you off guard. Maybe initially he wasn't your type, but now, he definitely was. It would be hard not to find him attractive.
You try to shake off the feeling, reminding yourself that he's a doctor and you are no more than his patient, but as he turned back to you, offering a reassuring smile to help put your worried expression at ease, you couldn't help but feel the twinge of something more re-emerge.
You searched for answers. Perhaps it's just the vulnerability of being in a hospital bed, or the adrenaline from the recent scare in the mines that was making you feel that way, or even maybe- your recent head injury causing these strange delusions. You had promised yourself you wouldn't go near men for a long time after your ex.
You lifted your arm lightly to touch your scalp, kneading your hands through your hair.
"Don't worry, your hair is fine." His voice was thick and low. You sighed in relief as a bald patch would have not been a good look for a newcomer to the Valley.
"Miss Rosingdale, never ever do that again. God knows what will happen next time, please don't take that risk, I am requesting this as your doctor and friend." His worry evident.
You nodded, a consuming feeling of guilt washing over you as you studied Harvey's stressed face and body language.
"I'm sorry for coming across angry, I was just very worried. I think I'm going to send Clint a letter telling him to stop encouraging people to enter those horrific mines." As Dr. Harvey finished up his notes and prepared to leave you alone to recover and think, you found yourself wishing that he would stay just a little longer, just so you could bask in his kind and comforting presence.
Maybe you were being a little delusional, but who truly knew? You questioned the idea of love at first sight as you had never experienced something as mythical as that in your lifetime, but now your ideas were changing, all by the presence of this one singular man.
"Rest up Miss Rosingdale, you'll stay here tonight so I can monitor you." Harvey spoke, preparing to leave, not meeting your eyes as he did. His tone somewhat monotone.
As he exited the room, you couldn't help but feel a sense of longing, a question mark hanging over your future interactions with him within your mind. He seemed very collected, but how long would it be until that facade broke? Would it break?
You laid alone, the machines still beeping. Weary eyed, you began to drift off into a solemn slumber. Your mind was wondering wild as you did, entertaining useless scenarios, but also hoping that Milo was keeping himself entertained back at the farm house.