Disclaimer: Christy belongs to the Marshall/LeSourd family. This is a work of fan fiction and is not meant for profit, only entertainment.

Chapter Four

After a few weeks, I began to feel more confidant as a wife. I was able to accomplish many of the household chores without Neil's assistance, work at the clinic and have a decent a meal ready in the evenings. It was a lot of work but I figured if the other women of the Cove could do it so could I.

The evenings were a different story. Occasionally, Neil had to attend to some emergency or another. When he was home, I had expected him to spend sometime with me like we had during our first week of marriage. I wanted to curl up beside him and watch the gradual descent of late summer into autumn from the front porch. More often than not, Neil slipped into his laboratory after dinner and I saw very little of him until bed time. I knew how much his research on trachoma meant and I didn't want to complain. My inconveniences would matter little if he found a cure for a disease that robbed sight mercilessly here. It made me feel guilty for wanting Neil's attention for myself.

I was happy that I married Neil but that feeling of wanting my life to count for more still ran strong in my blood. I was a nurse now, I reminded myself, that makes my life count for some thing. I devised a plan to send children here to college, that made a difference in the world surely. Still, I felt like I could do more to help my neighbors and friends. It just felt like there was a piece of my new life still missing. I was restless to find it.

One evening while the gentle rain of a dying thunderstorm pattered on the roof, I began to pace in front of the fire. Bluntly put, I was bored. I had spent much of the day mending clothes. Neil was rather rough on his clothing with holes worn through at the knees of his pants and the elbows of his shirts. I had tried to reinforce the pants with leather pieces but ended up stabbing my fingers and bending the needle. I made one more attempt after dinner that evening. My attempt did not last long. I jammed the needle into my thumb so hard it bled. I left my work in a heap and went to look out the open door at the rain dripping off of the leaves. I sighed. At that moment, I would have given anything for a sewing machine. I paced back to the fireplace and gazed at the glowing embers. What was wrong with me? I should be happy and content. I was married to the most wonderful man I could imagine. I was working and able to keep up with normal household chores for the most part. I sighed heavily again. I sat down listlessly in a chair e and looked into the fire again without really seeing it.

"What's the matter, dear heart?"

I glanced up to see Neil standing by my side. I hadn't heard him leave his laboratory at all. "I don't know really. I guess I was wishing for a sewing machine so I didn't have to stab my fingers so many times. You know for someone who can make neat, tiny stitches during a surgery, you didn't keep up on mending your clothing."

"I guess I had other things on my mind and never got around to it." He grinned at me sheepishly.

"Like now"

A puzzled look fluttered over his face. "What do you mean?"

"I guess I mean I expected to spend more time with you since we're married. Some evenings I hardly see you until I'm ready for bed. I don't mean to take you away from important work. I miss spending time with you. But I think what's really bothering me is I'm just plain bored. When I was teaching there was always something to do or plan and now..."

"You're lost and don't know what to do to find that purpose you once had."

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Read my thoughts and feelings so well."

"Well, I am your husband and I guess it's just in my nature. I have to read the emotions in people to get the whole story. People around here aren't always so straight forward. I'm really sorry if it seems that my research takes precedent over you. You know that isn't the truth. I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm not alone anymore. I've been alone for so long now that I find myself slipping into my old hermit like ways." He knelt down in front of me and took my hand in his. "I'll try to cut back on my time researching."

"Don't do that. I want you to find a cure. I would hate it if I took so much time away from your work that a cure went undiscovered."

"I doubt you or I have a say in that, Christy. It is in God's hands, not mine, if a cure is to be found. As for you being bored, let's see, you can always go visiting when we're slow at the clinic. I won't mind. I'm sure Sally would appreciate some help with school opening in a month's time. And what about the adult education classes and the maternity clinic? It's a bit early yet but it couldn't hurt to get ahead start on it." He took my hand and cradled it against his cheek as a dull peal of thunder rumbled, echoing off the mountainsides.

"I'll have to re-read Grundtvig's book again and I'll have to read some of your medical texts for the maternity clinic." The spark of purpose was glowing inside me again.

"Now, let me see that poor abused thumb of yours, dear heart o' mine." I took my hand away from his face and showed him my thumb. He studied it for a moment.

"It doesn't look seriously injured but I think it needs some treatment." He kissed my thumb ever so gently. He let his lips linger in that spot for a few seconds and moved down to the base of my thumb. I shivered as sensual chills raced up and down my spine.

Neil continued kissing my wrist and unbuttoned my sleeve. He stopped for a second and shook his head. "That whole arm looks like it could use some tending to." He rolled my sleeve up past my elbow and began kissing my arm in a teasingly slow manner from the pulse point of my wrist to the bend of my elbow. As he reached the elbow, I left out a shaky sigh. Neil looked up at me, his hazel eyes glowing with an intense light. He smiled at me wickedly.

"Something wrong, love?"

"Just a little dizzy."

"Perhaps you should lie down. Shall I put you to bed?"

"Yes, please do."

Neil rose from the floor and picked me up in his arms like he was pick an heirloom quilt from a blanket chest. He placed me gently on the bed as another low rumble of thunder echoed. No, he hadn't forgotten that he wasn't alone tonight.