Her name is Annie. She comes from Scholar Farm. She has hair the color of the darkest red maple leaves, and eyes of emerald. Pretty colors, but otherwise she's somehow... Sort of plain? She's cute, but not extraordinarily beautiful by any means. She might seem prettier though, you suppose, if not for the fact that she has collectively almost a dozen sisters or cousins who all more of less look strikingly similar, except that they're all at least a little prettier and less plain than her. It's the weirdest thing. You've mistakenly called the sister that looks most like her, Charlotte, her name once. She looked a little offended. The only reason you know Annie's name is because she came third to you in a harvest competition once. She had a pretty impressive carrot though! And she was very knowledgeable about the health benefits! If you were the judge you would have given her second place.

She's now sitting at a table in Brad's restaurant, looking bored and just a little sad while continuing to push around half-eaten food that can no longer be identified. Potatoes and broccoli most likely. Possibly some cauliflower...

...Why are you noticing this random girl, you suddenly wonder? You don't know, but you just can't stop staring...

She finally sends her plate away and pays, then gets up from the table to leave. But as she's absentmindedly doing so, she doesn't realize the chair leg has gotten caught up with her own leg, and before anyone can save her, she trips and falls down face-first, her round glasses landing several feet away, cracked.

You and one other person are the first to come to her aid. You, and the Doctor...

Ford...

You have a... Complicated relationship with this man, to say the least. You love him dearly. You once even gave thought to being with him... But those days are long over.

You respect him very much. But although he is a very kind man, he... Just wasn't kind -enough- for -you-... The way he would hold you to his own standards of 'superiority' at the competitions... It reminded you too much of your father. You know it came from a well-meaning place in both of them. You still didn't care for it either way...

Yuzuki, on the other hand, you have barely ever heard a negative word from. He is always praising, admiring, and encouraging you...

So even Ford couldn't really blame you for choosing him, and he never had. He became a little more sullen and reclusive for a while, but when he heard that you had conceived, he came to you and told you to trust him with the birth. You had, and everything had gone perfectly.

You hadn't really talked to him since then...

But, now's not the time to think about that!

The Scholar girl protests at first, tries to get up on her own, but as soon as she puts weight on her foot, she falls back down, crying out in pain. So together, you and Ford pick her up, and carry her to the clinic. She apologizes profusely, but afterwards she remains quiet while you bring her to Ford's house to be treated.

Once there, Ford ushers her to rest on the seat for patients, raises the hurt leg onto the table, and then goes to fetch an ice pack from the freezer. Pressing it down on the red, swollen skin, he soon starts to chide her, "You really need to be more careful, Miss Annie. This sprain might not be as bad as the last time, but it's on the same foot. If you have another accident, next time you might actually break your foot!"

You quickly defend the girl. "Relax, Ford. I'm sure she didn't mean to trip and hurt herself. Don't stress your patient by scolding her!" You admonish him, one of the few people in his life that will do so. As much as it vexes him sometimes, he still respects you for it.

So he nods solemnly. "Yes, you're right. Sorry, Miss Annie. I was just concerned. Anyways, there's nothing you can do now except what we're doing now. I'll call a wagon to take you home, and when you get there, keep your injured foot elevated and compressed. Okay?"

She nods back wordlessly, looking down at her lap. She looks uncomfortable, for more than just the obvious reasons...

But you don't comment on it, and neither does Ford. He disappears for a few moments, and then he comes back in, looking a bit uncomfortable now himself. "I'm afraid it seems the last wagon left for the night a few moments ago... Luckily that's why I have a spare cot here for just such occasions. You can stay here tonight, and then we'll get someone to take you home in the morning."

She's about to protest, she opens her mouth, but you quickly cut her off, "Naturally! I volunteer to stay tonight as well, to act as a chaperone~"

Hearing this, she calms down. "U-Uh... Okay then..."

Ford nods in approval. "That's very thoughtful of you. But you'll have to sleep on the couch for your good deed."

You assure him it's fine, and then he heads upstairs to get some extra linens and blankets. Soon after he's disappeared, Annie hesitantly speaks up. "U-Um... Thank you for staying tonight, and for volunteering to be my chaperone... I'm very grateful... And, I'm sure you know why..."

You had a very strong suspicion, but that certainly confirms it. Annie is the poor girl who tried to confess to Westown's Dense Doctor those years ago...

You nod, and she quickly adds after, "So if you wouldn't mind, could you please keep him occupied, and I'll just go to sleep? I don't want to embarrass myself again..."

You pause, and quirk a brow at her. "I mean... I could do that, if you really wanted me to, but... It's just, what do you plan to do? Avoid Doctor Ford for the rest of your life?"

She seems confused. "I... Thought it would be the wisest course of action...?"

You cross your arms, challenging her. She's much more meek than you, so you've got her attention. "Really? When you're still so enamored with him that you don't eat half your food while watching him eat his, and then trip over your own feet because you can't take your eyes off of him?"

Her cheeks now almost half as red as her hair, Annie looks down at her own lap. Not wanting her to feel bad, you quickly defend her. "I don't blame you Annie, but this isn't the healthy way to go about this. Pining for a guy but never talking to him because you think you don't have a chance. And that's probably not even the case! I really don't even think Ford knew you were confessing, you know..."

She doesn't look like she believes you at first. "Surely a man as intelligent as him-"

"Can still be incredibly dense." You finish for her, uncrossing your arms and putting them on your hips instead. "Look Annie, Ford will be back any second now. Before he comes back, can you just tell me one thing? What was it about Ford that made you fall so in love with him? It's just, you know it's quite common for people to develop feelings for people that take care of them when they're sick or injured..."

She looks away. "I... I know that... And, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't partly that... How gentle he always is when he can be, how firm and decisive when he must... And of course I admire him for his intelligence, but... I guess, to tell you the truth, the thing that made me realize I was in love with him... The thing that still makes me seek him out... Is his loneliness."

You blink openly. That last part wasn't what you were expecting, and your eyes seek clarification. So she does, "It's just... Unless someone needs something from him, he's always alone. And I know some people prefer that, but... I don't think he does? He's always happier when Wayne or Brad or another neighbor of his comes over to talk to him... So, when he was taking care of me, I couldn't help but wonder... Who takes care of him? He's the only doctor around, so when he gets sick or injured, who takes care of him? No one... I know it's maybe a little silly, maybe it's a little too much but... He's the reason I started going to school to become a nurse..."

Your mouth has been going wide since about halfway through her explanation. When she looks up at you at the end, you quickly seek to explain it by going, "Oh! You are? I didn't know that! That's a very noble profession!"

She shrugs modestly. "I don't plan on working with Ford anymore like I dreamed of doing, when I was a silly love-struck girl, but... I still thought it was best for me. I always took care of my grandma grandpa a lot, and I've helped two of my older sisters give birth before, so I've been studying to be a midwife too. Most of my older sisters and cousins were more outgoing than me, and I stayed home most of the time anyways, so the responsibility just fell to me to take care of people, but I didn't mind, it was just what I always like to do. My family teases me a lot about being an "old soul" and a "stick in the mud". And that's coming from a family of Scholars!"

Admittedly most of their scholarly pursuits led to increasing the quality of their farms, but still.

"Well-" You're about to reassure her, but then you hear footsteps coming down from the stairs. You quickly hush up and Annie clams up entirely. Ford makes the cot with new linens, even though the ones on the bed were still clean. Then he tosses an extra pillow and blanket on the couch, before helping Annie up, letting her lean on him while she hops to the bed. She lays down, thanks him and then bids him goodnight, before closing her eyes and pretending she's fallen asleep.

Ford then turns to you and is about to bid you goodnight as well. But you cut him off, "Actually Ford, could I please use your phone upstairs to call my husband and let him know I'm staying here? Also, a cup of chamomile would be helpful to get me to sleep~"

He nods in acceptance of your reasonable requests, and motions for you to follow him upstairs. Once there he sets to making the tea, while you call Yuzuki and let him know what happened and where you'll be for the night. He's fine with it, and he puts your baby on the phone to say goodnight before you hang up, and turn back to the doctor, who is just pouring the boiled water from a kettle over the yellow-colored teabags in two fancy tea cups.

"I'm afraid I'm currently out of sugar, but I have honey and cream." He informs you, placing the tray with all the cups and bowls on the coffee table by his couch.

You take your seat and your cup, and put a tablespoon of honey (Your own brand, made from the finest quality flowers) and a splash of cream inside, before stirring it all together. Ford only takes a teaspoon of honey in his.

You both sip in silence for the first few seconds. Then you look up. You cross your legs and hold the teacup by the hand daintily with one hand while tapping the armrest of the sofa with your nails. Ford looks up too, and gulps his tea a bit nervously. Everyone knows you to be a "jack of all trades" type. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. Ford guesses just a second too late that you're about to throw him a curve-ball.

"So tell me Doc~" You implore, "When is Westown's most eligible bachelor finally going to come off the market?"

He stares, confused. "...Shouldn't you be asking Wayne that...?"

You laugh heartily. You had expected him to say something like that."No silly! I meant you! Haven't you gone on a date some time during the last couple of years?"

His cheeks grow pink, and he frowns. "You know I don't have the time for such things..."

Rolling your eyes, you snatch up a wafer that's lying by your tea. "A guy who take two hour lunches every day and usually doesn't work weekends doesn't have time to date? Sorry Ford, but I'd buy ocean-front property in the desert before I bought that."

He puts his cup down. "Yes, well, no one is trying to sell you anything..."

"I know. I'm trying to sell YOU something, Ford." You finally reveal. "I wanna sell you on the idea of finally forgetting about me and starting over with someone new. Someone who truly loves you the way I couldn't."

He raises a brow. "...I must be honest. It doesn't really sound like my cup of tea..."

"Neither did I, I'm sure, until you let me into your heart." Your smile falters a bit there, though. "You know I never meant to hurt you, right? But... I know I did... And I'm sorry. But I really do believe that everything happens for a reason, Ford. I loved you for a reason, and... Well, I fell out of love with you for a reason too... We didn't belong together. There was someone else out there for both of us..."

"Both?" The second brow joins the other halfway up to his hairline. "I beg your pardon, but don't you think it's a little presumptuous to speak for both of us?"

"Yes it is." You agree readily. "Except for when you're absolutely sure you're right. Because I swear on my life, Ford, I just realized who your soulmate is. And before I tell you who it is, I'm going to tell you HOW I know."

"...I suppose that's -slightly- reassuring...?" He doesn't look reassured in the least.

You continue without a care for his worries, because you know that's partly why you should, and so you explain it to him as bluntly as you can, because you know he won't understand otherwise. "Ford, I know I put out some signals to you at first that I didn't send to other guys... I wanna apologize for that, because that was before I met Yuzuki. I liked you a lot, but when I met Yuzuki, that's when I realized that it was him that I -loved-. I knew I loved him because I couldn't stop thinking about him. I wanted him to be happy all the time, and I worried about his health, above all else. That's -real- love. So I know I can recognize it when I see it. Now, Ford..."

You stop for a moment, and take a deep breath. Here's where it's going to get complicated... "Do you remember that time early on when we first met, when Brad and Wayne were ganging up on you at the restaurant and calling you thickheaded? Because a girl wanted to stay at your clinic although her injury had healed? And you told her there was no need, that it would even be a nuisance? And she burst into tears and left? That was Annie from downstairs, correct?"

Still putting the pieces of the puzzle you're laying out for him, he blinks a bit and then nods. You continue as soon as he's able to keep up, "Okay, so... I know I defended you back then, I told Brad that it was a logical response for a doctor. And it was. But... You're also a little thickheaded when it comes to romance, Ford. I'm sorry, but it's true. Annie was trying to confess her love to you that day, all those years ago..."

His eyes go wide and he begins to sputter. You shush him and continue, "Luckily for you, it's still okay! Annie was still a bit too young and immature then, she had to grow up a little. And well, frankly, even though you're older, you did too. But now she's grown up, and gotten a bit wiser, and figured out who she is. Apparently you inspired her to become a nurse, and she's currently going to school for it. Now, that's noble and all, but that's not the reason I think her love for you has always been true..."

You take a sip of tea and tap your fingers on the armrest. "With my love for Yuzuki, which I think you can agree is a pretty ideal relationship, as my base of reference, I'm telling you now Ford, I think Miss Annie's love for you is real, and benevolent in nature. I believe this because when I asked her just now what made her fall in love with you in the first place, and what made her so in love with you that she still stares at you so much that she neglects her food and then trips not watching her feet. I expected her to tell me it was because of the time you helped her when she injured herself the last time. But it wasn't just how you cared for her that made her develop feelings for you. She told me, that she worried about YOUR health. When she was the one in pain, she wondered, who takes care of the Doctor when he's ill, when there's no other doctors for miles. And even though she believed you had rejected her, she rerouted that benevolent desire towards others by deciding to become a nurse and midwife. And I must say..."

You suddenly put your teacup down, decisively. You then get up, walk around the coffee table, and sit next to Ford on his sofa. His cheeks have already gotten a little pink, but you're aiming for red. You want to stir this man into action. "It might not be such a bad idea to hire a female nurse around here, especially since more people have been getting married lately, there's bound to be more babies being born. Now you're nothing if not professional, my dear Doctor, you're almost professional to a fault, in fact - But the fact simply remains that you are a rather handsome young man, and I'm sure the expecting mothers would be more comfortable to at least have the choice of a female birther, and for that matter, I'm sure their husbands would be more comfortable knowing that the handsome male doctor had a lady of his own to put his hands on instead~"

During this rather crude but effectively truthful explanation, you've been playfully poking him in the shoulder, until you've finally got that prize-winning tomato-face you were looking for out of him. Then you grin, and go for the win. "Alright Ford, now listen up - This is what you are going to DO."

He blinks, and tries to put his hands up to motion for you to wait, stop, hold on - But for forge ahead, forcing him to keep up. "You are going to tell Annie tomorrow morning that I told you about her studying to become a nurse. You tell her you respect her for that, and offer to help her study or advise her whenever you're not busy. If she accepts, and I'm sure she will, treat her KINDLY. I already know you're a kind man, Ford, but you can say things too bluntly sometimes and Annie's already from a family that criticizes her and holds her to a high standard. You don't do that! You encourage her! Because I'll be completely blunt with you now Ford, your criticism was the main reason I eventually drifted from you to Yuzuki. And I'm only telling you this now because I do still love you like a friend, and I want the best for you. That's why I'm advising you now to give Annie a chance. If it turns out either of you don't love each other later, you're always free to leave. It might hurt, but it's worth risking the pain. I'm sure I don't have to tell a doctor that, although it can be illogical, there are many astounding health benefits to being in love? Well, just sleep on it tonight, and give it your best shot in the morning. I believe in you, Ford..."

Your light pokes have now turned into reassuring pats. and then at last, you give him a quick peck on the cheek for old time's sake, and tell him cheekily as you get up and walk around the sofa and towards the stairs, "Love ya, Doc! Goodnight!"

You hear him sigh as you descend down the stairs. You imagine he's holding his cheek, wondering how you manage to get him to do such illogical things...

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The next morning Ford brings you and Annie some breakfast in bed.

It's a simple breakfast. Toast and eggs, over-easy, with coffee and juice. You drink your juice, but decline the coffee. Ford and Annie both drink the coffee, and only have a few sips of their juice.

Hesitant, even shaking a little, Ford finally mentions just before Annie is about to leave in the wagon about how you told her she decided to become a nurse. "Um... I think that's very noble, and I'd like to help you along in your pursuit. So please feel free to come back to my clinic after your foot has healed, if you ever need advice or help with your studies. And, um, also... I wanted to apologize, for the last time. I may have misunderstood what you said, and said something inappropriate, and hurt your feelings... I didn't realize-Er..." He stops for a moment, a little flustered. He takes a short pause, clears his throat and tries again, "Anyways! I regret and rescind what I said that day. In fact I'd much rather see you in my clinic in good health that not! After all, it never hurts to have a check-up!"

You're biting back your beaming smile, full of pride for him. Annie, blushing and shaking, nods in amazement from her seat in the wagon. "U-Uh... Th-Thank you, Doctor Ford! For your kind words, and your care! I'd love to come back! I mean-I'd like that! I-I'll do that soon! Goodbye, and thank you again!" She then hides her face away, but just before doing so, she gives you a secretly appreciative glance.

Once she's gone, you pat Ford on the back. "Ya did good, Doc~" You tell him before heading up the stairs to go get something at Brad's. You're not even hungry, you just wanna brag.

Plus, Miranda is standing at the top of the steps, pretending to sweep, but is instead staring down at the scene that just unfolded, her mouth slightly agape.

Just to be freaking extra, you take out a pair of dark-shaded sunglasses from your pocket and slip them on as you pass her. "That's why in Lulukoko, they call me the Matchmaking Legend~"

Lisette giggles from where she's also been pretending to sweep next door. "It's true, you know!"

And pretty soon, they're calling you that in Westown too~

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About a week later you get a simple thank you note from Annie, with a gift of fancy stationary and pens.

After about a month or so of taking your advice, Ford gifts you an entire case of various energy tonics. His coy note reads, "Feeling rather exceptionally energized lately, so go ahead and take these."

Your trio of towns is only all too happy to have a nurse join their doctor in due time. And the doctor has never been happier since he decided to take your advice, and a wife.

Annie is so proud of her husband, she brags about him to her sisters and cousins. For once, they actually envy her for something.

You have to admit, if only to yourself. Sometimes you envy her a little bit, too.

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