Love Is The Best Medicine (Stardew Valley - Harvey)

Chapter 11 - I Apologise

- Day 2, Fall -

You woke, still wrapped in Harveys embrace. He had not moved a lot during his sleep and you were certain he had passed out from exhaustion. You gently unravelled yourself and walked to Harveys kitchen in hopes of making yourself a coffee. Although Harvey preached health religiously, several cardboard sleeves from ready meals adorned his surfaces and his microwave looked very well used. Scanning the apartment, you had also noticed several model airplanes on shelves above his desk where some sort of radio seemed to sit.

You boiled the kettle and poured the coffee granules into the mug.

Across the room you saw Harvey beginning to stir, his arms stretching before him.

Suddenly, Harvey's intercom buzzed.

"Hello, Dr Harvey?" A voice stuttered. It was Maru.

Harvey struggled to rise, his leg twitching in pain as he clambered off of the sofa. He looked back at you, a slight smile escaping his lips. He turned to the intercom. Picking up the receiver, Harvey answered. "Hello Maru?"

"Morning Dr, Jodi is here to see you, she says there's something wrong with Vincent." She spoke.

Harvey sighed, knowing his work couldn't stop despite his injuries. "Okay Maru, I'm sorry- I overslept, I'll be right down." Putting down the receiver, Harvey turned to you.

"Thanks for yesterday, I owe you Evangeline." He smiled, looking somewhat shy. "Well, I saved you because you were trying to save me, so doesn't that cancel it out?" You giggled as you slung your backpack onto your back. "I guess it does."

You did not want to overstay your welcome, and it seemed as if neither of you wanted to talk about the Luau. Things felt so unnecessarily complicated. You had told yourself that getting involved with your doctor was a terrible idea, but you didn't listen to yourself.

The day had already started and you hadn't watered any of your crops yet or fed the chickens. "I'll be on my way." You spoke, a slight smile on your face as you did. "Yes I suppose you should, you have a lot of work to do." He sighed, taking a jacket out of his wardrobe.

"Take it easy, Doc." You teased, heading towards the door. He turned and nodded at you awkwardly.

- Later That Day -

You had just finished watering your crops, the cold fall wind whistling through the valley as you carried your fresh chicken eggs in their basket. Later you would sell them and rake in a nice profit for the season.

You found yourself reflecting on your past in the city more than usual. Memories of your old life flooded your mind, the endless days spent working in a stuffy office, staring at a computer screen until your eyes hurt, and the mentally exhausting routine of your 9-5 job. You remembered the constant pressure to meet deadlines, the endless meetings, and the never-ending flow of emails that seemed to flood your inbox.

And then there were the relationships, or rather, the disasters that they were. You had been through it all: the breakups, the betrayals, the heartaches. You had tried to find love in all the wrong places, but it never seemed to work out. You had given your heart and soul to people who didn't deserve it, and it had left you feeling empty and alone.

These feelings still crept back into your life to haunt you in different ways, the encounter at the Luau with Harvey being the proof. You just didn't want to get hurt again.

That led you to wonder what hardships the people of Pelican Town had gone through themselves. You had heard that Jodi's husband was away at war, Alex's mum had died when he was very young and Shane had been dealing with consistent alcohol abuse. You seemed to know things about people, just through word of mouth, but you hadn't heard anything about Harveys past. All you knew was that he was lonely, and he used to study and work in Zuzu city just like you.

Ring, ring.

Your telephone was ringing from inside the house. You quickly jumped up and ran inside, picking up the phone.

"Good afternoon Evangeline." Lewis spoke. You coughed in surprise, you hadn't really been in Lewis' good books and he hadn't been in yours.

"Good afternoon Mayor Lewis." You replied bluntly through the phone. There was a moment of awkward silence before Mayor Lewis cleared his throat and spoke again.

"I just wanted to further apologise for my behaviour at the Luau." He began. "I was out of line." You had never thought that Mayor Lewis would apologise so thoroughly, usually his pride got in the way.

"I accept your apology, Mayor Lewis," you said, feeling a bit more at ease. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes, actually," he said, clearing his throat again. "I wanted to let you know about a new initiative we're starting in the town. It's called the Pelican Town Community Center, and we're hoping to renovate the old building into a hub for social events and community gatherings."

"That sounds interesting," you said, intrigued. "What can I do to help?"

"Well, we're looking for volunteers to help with the renovations and the fundraising efforts," he explained. "If you're interested, I can send you more information." You thought about it for a moment. Helping with the community centre could be a good way to get more involved in the town and meet new people.

"Sure, I'd be happy to help," you said. "Please send me the details."

"Excellent," Mayor Lewis said, sounding pleased. "I'll send that over to you right away. Thank you for considering it, Evangeline."

As you hung up the phone, you couldn't help but feel a bit surprised at how the conversation had turned out. Maybe Mayor Lewis had finally had his redemption.

- Community Centre -

You arrived to the abandoned community centre and suddenly you felt a wave of sadness wash over you.

The building looked as though it had been abandoned for years, with weeds and vines crawling up the walls and the wooden supports looking dangerously unstable. You hesitated before taking a step closer, unsure if it was safe to even enter the building. You could see that the roof was leaking through the gaps, with water dripping down onto the ground below. The windows were all boarded up, and the door looked like it hadn't been opened in years.

You wondered what had caused the community centre to be left in such a state of disrepair. Had there been a lack of funding or interest? Had there been some kind of disaster that had led to its abandonment? Did no one else in the village care about it?

With a deep breath, you reached for the door handle and gave it a gentle push. To your surprise it creaked open with ease, as if it had been waiting for someone to come inside. The musty smell of dust and dampness hit you as you stepped inside, but you couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement at the same time. You had a feeling that there was much more to this abandoned community centre than met the eye.

Suddenly, a breeze rolled through the air, sending chills down your spine. You felt something move in the dark, carefully avoiding the cracks letting in the daylight. You strained your eyes, trying to see through the darkness. You stood there for what felt like an eternity, watching for any slight movement or creak of the floorboards. Finally, you saw it again, a flicker of movement in the darkness. You took a cautious step forward, and suddenly the floor creaked loudly beneath your feet.

Suddenly, a small green creature glided before you, you froze terrified. It was a Jumino, but you didn't know that. The creature was small, no more than a foot tall, with big, curious eyes that seemed to be examining you. Its skin was a vibrant shade of green, and its little hands and feet looked nimble and quick.

In a fit of panic, you took off, hurrying and never looking back. You remembered your encounters with slimes in the mines, and you were not looking for a repeat of that.

You wondered how Harvey would feel knowing you put yourself in danger...