A Waltons Story - Chapter 13

A Waltons Story

(The Waltons Fan Fiction)

By: Kristi N. Zanker

Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, etc. are the property of Lorimar Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. I, in no way am associated with the owners, creators, or producers of The Waltons. No copyright infringement is intended.

13.

The Recovery

After visiting with Daisy for ten minutes, John-Boy came out into the hallway, and sat with Elizabeth. He told her she was doing alright, went on and told his little sister that he was thinking about sending Melissa home with her for a short time while Daisy recuperated.

“Of course, I would have to ask Mama,” he said.

“I know. I hope she’ll let Melissa stay,” replied Elizabeth.

John-Boy and Elizabeth went to a nearby café and had breakfast. Afterward, while he was visiting Daisy again, a nurse came in to check her vitals.

“Do you need me to leave?” asked John-Boy.

The nurse shook her head and told him that Daisy was still running a temperature, but other than that she was holding on her own. When he looked at the clock on the wall, he nearly gasped. Only four hours had passed Daisy had woken him up. The waiting had seemed like an eternity. John-Boy had gotten misty eyed at the thought of what his wife had gone though. He leaned down and kissed Daisy on the forehead. She stirred a little and her eyes opened.

“Hi, Darling,” he said softly. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” she said as she placed her hands on her flat stomach. “Our baby’s gone, I still can’t believe it.”

“I know, but it’ll be okay.”

The room was silent for a moment.

“Daisy,” John-Boy said. “I was thinking that it might be a good idea for Melissa to go back with Elizabeth. Just for awhile, until you get better.”

“I’m not sure I want to be away from her that long.”

“Okay. It’s nothing we have to decide right now.”

“Is she with you?”

“Millie’s looking after her.”

They continued to talk in low voices until she drifted off to sleep. John-Boy quietly left the room, went back into the hallway, and sat down next to Elizabeth, who thumbed through an issue of the Saturday Evening Post.

“What is it, John-Boy?” she asked, as she set the magazine in her lap.

“Honey, when we get home, I’m going to call Mama and ask her about Melissa going back with you.”

“Mama will take good care of her. She shouldn’t worry,” replied Elizabeth.

He could tell Elizabeth was disappointed about her visit being cut short. But he also knew that after these past weeks, she would rise above that disappointment.

“Don’t worry, John-Boy, I’ll take good care of her too,” she said.

“You sure have been. Thank you, honey. I’m glad you understand. I don't know what I would’ve done without you,” he said and gave her a hug.

He hugged her and then went back in to the room and sat down in the chair next to Daisy's bed. Not long after, the doctor appeared. He checked her chart, and nodded to John-Boy, who nudged Daisy. She awoke to the doctor reviewing her records with the nurse beside him.

“Well, Mrs. Walton, I’m sorry this happened, but as you know I was concerned about you becoming pregnant. I was hoping for a more positive outcome. I’d like you to stay here at least another day for observation and then we can see how you’re doing.”

“I understand,” Daisy whispered.

“What does he mean by hoping for more positive results?” John-Boy asked Daisy.

John-Boy peered over at the doctor, hoping for a logical answer. Instead, he excused himself and said that the nurse would check in on her later and they both walked out into the hallway. When the door shut, John-Boy turned to her.

“What was the doctor talking about? Daisy, look at me!”

“John,” she sighed. “Remember when you were upset at me having the contraceptive?”

“Yes, I remember.” He could feel the tension rising in the room. The warm July air did not help one bit. But he sat quietly and paid attention.

“When I had Melissa, it turned out to be a very difficult delivery. The doctor that told me I would have a hard time getting pregnant again and delivering.”

All John-Boy could do was stare at her, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear more or not. But he listened on, while his anger slowly reached to the boiling point.

“When I went to the doctor to get the diaphragm, he noticed that something still wasn’t right. That is why he suggested that I use that. For me to get pregnant would’ve been a risk.”

“Why didn't you discuss any of this with me?”

“I was so ashamed. I love you so much, John. I was afraid if you knew that I would have a problem conceiving, you would not look at me in the same way again. You’d feel sorry for me and I didn’t want to see that look in your eyes.”

“Daisy, you must think that I’m a shallow person. I would’ve understood that!” He stood up. “But what I still don't understand is your constant lying!” He threw up his hands. “I have to get out of here.”

“John, please don't go! I can’t bear it right now!”

His hand was on the doorknob. He turned to his wife.

“Daisy, you haven’t been honest with me from the beginning and its best that I work this out before I say something I’ll regret! John-Boy wrenched door open, and left the room. He could hear her sobbing. He did not care.

John-Boy was halfway down the hallway, leading to the entrance of the hospital, when he remembered Elizabeth was in the small gift shop. He cursed to himself and went back to get her.

He found Elizabeth looking at get well cards.

“I found one for Daisy,” she said.

“Put it down, and come out here,” he didn’t want to sound harsh, but he did. “Are you ready to go?”

“John-Boy, did I do something?”

“No, we have to go now.”

“Go where?”

“Back to the apartment.”

“Oh, don't you want to stay with Daisy?”

“I’d rather not talk about it right now.”

She obeyed and followed him out of the hospital. They stood in silence as they waited for the next streetcar to come by.

At the top of the stoop, John-Boy gave Elizabeth the key, and told her to open their apartment. He quietly knocked on Millie’s door. She answered and embraced him.

“Oh, how’s she doing? I was so worried!” she said.

“She’s fine. How’s Melissa?”

“She’s doing alright, taking a nap right now.”

“Your door’s unlocked,” Elizabeth said behind him and handed the key over.
.
“Okay. Thank you, honey. Wait in the living room and I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay.”

He stepped inside Millie’s living room and she shut the door.

“Is there something you want to talk about?” Millie asked.

“Not right now, but could you do me a favor? Let Elizabeth stay with you for a while, I need some time for myself.”

“Why sure, is there anything else I can do to help?”

“No.” He thanked Millie profusely.

He went into his living room and explained to Elizabeth the Millie would look after her for the time being. When he brought Elizabeth across the hall, Millie welcomed her with open arms and said she needed a third person to help her bake some cookies. He could hear Melissa squealing in the background toward Millie’s kitchen.

John-Boy went into the apartment and sat on the couch. The phone rang just then, but he did not want to talk to anyone. He was glad he was alone for he began to silently cry for the loss of his baby, and the beginning of the downfall of his marriage. He did not know how to make it right again.

He ended up falling asleep on the couch. When John-Boy woke up, he peeked at the clock on the kitchen wall and saw that it was nine o’clock at night. After dragging himself off the couch, he went to the bathroom and washed up. Then, he made a pot of coffee. John-Boy felt physically and emotionally exhausted. He almost felt the same way he did when Daisy first deceived him, by not telling him about Melissa at all.

Only this time, he knew wasn’t going to drown his sorrows in the bottle. He was going do his best to work things out. They hadn’t even been married a year. He had to admit it though; most of it had been a disaster. Why did everything have to go so wrong?

John-Boy knew he had to deal with this, but was not sure he could ever trust Daisy again. At least for now, he felt he could go back to the hospital and talk with her rationally. But first, he dialed home and told his parents what had happened to their baby. He then asked if Melissa could stay with them for a week or two. He did not say anything about Daisy’s lies. That was just between the two of them. His mother said she would be delighted to have Melissa stay with the family. She invited John-Boy and Daisy, but he quickly said no to that. She wondered when he was going to come back.

“I’ll come and pick up Melissa when the time is ready,” he told Olivia.

“John-Boy, are you all right? You don’t sound too well,” she asked.

“Mama, I’m fine, I’m just very tired,” was his reply.

After he got off the phone, he finished his third cup of coffee. Then, he went to check on Millie and the girls.

When Millie opened the door, she told him that they were all doing just fine and that they were good company.

“I’m going to head back to the hospital now, do you mind if the girls stay with you a bit longer?”

“No, not at all.”

“Could you tell Melissa she’ll be staying with Elizabeth until her mother gets better?”

“I’ll do that.”

He gave her a hug and thanked her immensely.

John-Boy took the elevator to the floor where Daisy's room was. While on the streetcar over to the hospital, he made up his mind that getting in to an argument would not solve anything now, not while she was recovering.

When he arrived to her room, John-Boy softly knocked on the door. He could see that Daisy was sitting up. She was talking with the nurse. He knocked again, this time slightly louder. Her head turned at the sound.

“John!” she said. “I was so worried!”

She suddenly became silent. John-Boy stepped into the room. He heard her ask the nurse if she could have a moment alone with her husband.

“Alright, but its past visiting hours, Mrs. Walton. You have fifteen minutes and that’s it,” said the nurse. She went out of the room and shut the door behind her.

“It looks like you are feeling better,” said John-Boy who sat in the chair next to her bed.

“I want you to know that I would do anything in the world for you. I love you. Please don't stay mad at me.”

“Well, Daisy. This is a tough situation for us now, isn’t it? Probably the toughest of all our bad times. I don’t know how I’m ever going to trust you again. I don’t know when you’ll be telling the truth. But let’s not discuss any of more of this now. Let’s concentrate on you getting well.”

“Where did you go?” she asked, and took his hand into hers.

“I went home. I slept for a bit, that’s all.” He said, letting go of her hand, as if it had been a hot stove.

“Please, don’t use that tone with me.”

“If you’re going to keep deceiving me, I may have to. It’s going to take some time to get through this. It isn’t going to be easy for either of us.” He said he didn’t want to talk about it anymore, but his emotions had other plans.

*~*~*

“When are you going to see Daisy today?” asked Elizabeth, as she poured the milk into her cereal bowl.

“I’ll go see her on my lunch hour,” said John-Boy, who stirred the spoon in his coffee cup.

“Is Millie going to watch me again?” asked Melissa.

“Yes, she is and Elizabeth will be with you.”

Melissa smiled over at Elizabeth, who returned with a grin. John-Boy felt so bad for his youngest sister just then. He could only imagine how awkward she must feel with all that had happened. But he had to admit, she really was growing up. She knew how to be brave in front of Melissa, just as if she was really her sister. He knew Elizabeth did not want to scare her.

He gave the girls a kiss good-bye and said that he would call as soon as he heard any news about Daisy. After he made it to the office, John-Boy informed his supervisor of the current situation. He also explained that he may need to take a day or two off to get the girls on the train back to Waltons Mountain and Daisy situated at the apartment. His supervisor was compassionate, empathetic and said he could take whatever time he needed.

Before he began any writing or editing, John-Boy called Daisy's room at the hospital and asked how she was feeling. She told him that she felt better but did not know if she could go home just yet for the doctor had not made a visit that morning. John-Boy informed her that he would see her during his lunch hour. Before he hung up, Daisy said that she loved him and asked how Elizabeth and Melissa were doing. He told her that they were both fine and that Millie was looking after them.

Nearly two hours had gone by since the phone call with Daisy. John-Boy was so deep into his work; he almost didn’t hear his phone ring. The caller turned out to be his sister Erin, from the switchboard at Fannie Tatum’s.

“Erin! How are you?” He asked. It felt so good at that particular moment to be connected with home.

“I’m fine, been busy with my classes at the secretary school. I have Mama on the phone. Bye John-Boy I miss you!”

“I miss you, too, Erin. I’ll talk to you soon!” he said.

“Mama, how are you?” he asked when he heard Olivia’s voice on the other end.

“I’m fine, but never mind about me. What’s happening with Daisy?” His mother asked.

“Well, I spoke with her awhile ago and the doctor had not been by to see her yet. But she sounded better.”

“John-Boy, I want to know what’s happening with you two. I could tell that when you called me yesterday, something wasn’t right.”

“Oh, Mama, I don’t want to tell you. It’s something the two of us have to deal with. But I guess I can’t hide anything from you.” John-Boy went on and explained what was happening with Daisy, her birth control, and the lying. He hated to air the family laundry, but somehow speaking with his mother felt comforting. After all, she wasn’t the gossipy type.

“Mama, are you still there?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m here,” Olivia replied.

“Well, you wanted to know. There it is.”

“I know John-Boy; a marriage is not always easy. It takes a lot of love, compassion, patience, and understanding. The best thing to do now is to give you two time to work things out. When do you want Elizabeth and Melissa to come here?”

“Soon, Mama. I want to get Daisy back home first. I want her to spend some time with Melissa. She misses her Mama. I’ll let you know.”

“Okay, John-Boy. Remember to have faith and pray. It always helps in my times of trouble.”

“I will, Mama. I love you,” said John-Boy and he hung up the phone.

He told the receptionist in the office that he was leaving for lunch and walked out the door. Thankfully, the hospital was with in walking distance to where he worked. When he reached the hospital, and Daisy’s floor, John-Boy knocked on her door even though it was open. Daisy was sitting up, and talking to the nurse.

“Hi, Daisy.” John-Boy stood in the doorway.

“Hello, John. I’m feeling much better today.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Has the doctor checked in with you today?”

“No, not yet but he should be here this afternoon.”

“Oh, I see.”

“How are the girls?”

“They’re fine…Millie’s looking after them.”

“I’ll let you two be,” said the nurse.

The nurse quickly notated Daisy's chart and left the room; as she walked out, she gently closed the door behind her.

“John, I want to get to the bottom of this right now. I don't want bad feelings between us. I can’t continue like this,” she said.

“You can’t continue like this!? It’s funny how differently we view things,” he said, he could feel the anger rising slowly.

“John—“

“Daisy, I’m not going to get into this right now. When is the doctor supposed to arrive again?”

“Some time this afternoon.”

“Fine, I will be back after work and hopefully you can be checked out by then.”

Without saying another word, he turned around and left the room. John-Boy tried to look calm, but his stance told the story to everyone who passed him in the hallway. It took all he could to not get into it with Daisy at the hospital. It was certainly not the right place, nor was it the right time. He walked back to work and by the time he got there he had calmed down; however, dull ache settled itself into his stomach. The ache had appeared once before, but this time, he wasn’t sure if it was ever going to leave.

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