Chapter Text
Chapter 5: Turning Points
Weeks passed and Piper finally felt like she was settling down into a routine on her farm. Each day she woke up less sore than the day before it, and to her, that was a huge accomplishment. She harvested her first ever crop, and couldn't help but run the parsnip over to Lewis to proudly show him her accomplishments, to which she received a pat on the head.
She was slowly but surely making friends with all of the residents also. Well, minus Shane. As hard as she tried, Shane refused to even entertain the thought of them being acquaintances. She tried her best to not let it get her down, but deep down it stung. She could still recall the hot embarrassment she felt after his first rejection, and each of the following were no less severe.
She found herself once again at the Stardrop after a long day of clearing out her field. She absentmindedly twirled her spaghetti on the fork in her hand, lost in thought. Her head jerked up as she heard the door open. Shane walked in and met Piper's bewildered stare, which caused her to drop the fork on the plate. She looked down, red with embarrassment as the fork clinked loudly on the plate.
'Good,' Shane thought. He wasn't ready to deal with another onslaught of advances from the farmer today. He had come to the saloon to drink away the hellish day he had just finished, just like every other day before it. He managed to get two beers deep before he noticed the farmer making his way to him. Shane groaned internally and kept his eyes down, avoiding the farmer's gaze.
Piper stopped in front of him, her heart anxiously pounding. She took a quiet deep breath and spoke. "Look, Shane, I know you don't want to be my friend. I don't know why, and I won't ask. I just don't want you to hate me, so if it's something I've done please let me know. Here." She let out quickly and thrusted a beer in his direction.
Shane looked up in surprise, just now noticing that the beer he held was empty. He set his mug down on the counter, which Emily quietly retrieved, so as not to interfere. Shane accepted the beer as he struggled for something to say. "Uh, thanks for the beer. I appreciate it a lot. I don't hate you," he muttered simply and put the beer to his mouth to end the conversation.
Piper took the hint, thankfully, but he couldn't stop his heart from jumping in his chest when he saw her eyes light up with relief. She nodded to him with a smile and turned on her heel to leave the saloon.
Piper had a pep in her step, and it did not go unnoticed by Marnie and Lewis, who shared a knowing look to each other as she walked out the door.
-----
Spring seemed to fly by for Piper, who found herself busy every moment of her waking hours. Before she realized it, she was checking her mail and getting notice of her first town festival from Mayor Lewis.
Dear Piper,
Tomorrow we're holding the Egg Festival in the town square.
You should arrive between 9AM and 2PM if you'd like to attend.
You wouldn't want to miss the annual egg hunt!
- Mayor Lewis
Piper grinned to herself and stuck the letter in the back pocket of her overalls and turned just in time to see a dog happily bounding towards her. Following the enthused dog was a slightly less enthused Marnie, who seemed to be out of breath.
Piper knelt down to ruffle the dog's chest as she waited for Marnie to catch her breath before speaking.
"Good morning Piper! I found this dog sitting outside the entrance to your farm. Think it's a stray, poor thing!" Marnie said and gestured to the medium sized dog Piper was already doting on.
"Say, it looks like he is pretty happy here. Don't you think your farm could use a good farm dog?" Marnie mused, to which Piper nodded vigorously.
"If no one else will take him, I would be more than happy to! I love animals so much Marnie!" Piper couldn't hide the excitement in her voice as she lovingly squished the dog's face. "I was starting to get lonely out here by myself, this is the best thing that's happened since I moved here!"
Well, one of the best thing things, Piper thought as she recalled the night Shane finally allowed her to talk to him. Something about that night made her so giddy that she couldn't help but grin widely.
"Well, congratulations on your new dog Piper! Since you love animals so much, you should stop by my farm someday and adopt even more animals! After you build them a home of course!" Marnie winked at Piper, who gestured to the side of her house with her thumb at the ever growing pile of lumber, rocks, and other miscellaneous building materials.
"Already on it! Robin will be out here in a day or two to start the construction of my first coop! Took most of the money I've made so far plus a little from my parents, but I say it's worth it!"
Marnie clapped in excitement and took Piper's hands in hers. "I am so excited for you! I can't wait to help you pick out a new family member or two!" Marnie laughed at Piper's thrilled expression. She looked as if she would explode at any moment from sheer joy.
"Well, I'll let you get acquainted with your pup and get back to work, I have some things to take care of myself! Feel free to stop by the farm if you have any free time! Shane is off for the day."
Piper looked up from her dog in surprise. "O-okay, noted! I'll try to stop by then!" Piper stammered and turned her attention back to the dog. Why had her cheeks flushed? Did Marnie notice? Yoba, she hoped not.
But of course she did. Marnie chuckled quietly and smiled knowingly before giving the dog a final pat on the head and heading back towards her ranch.
"Alright, you need a name." Piper told the dog as he studied her face intently. Piper stood and brought her watering can to the dog bowl that had been conveniently left at her house from her grandfather. The dog followed and happily drank from the bowl as Piper watched him, searching her brain for a fitting name for the fawn medium-sized mutt.
"Murphy?" The dog looked up at Piper, wagging his tail expectantly. "Murphy it is then." Piper smiled and rubbed the dog's ears. "Alright bud, I need to get some work done. Feel free to explore, this is your home too now."
It was still early, so Piper had plenty of time to harvest the potatoes and parsnips that were ready and water the ones that were not. For the most part, Murphy had followed her and did his best not to get in her way too much.
Piper pulled up a rather disappointingly small parsnip and sighed. While most of her crop was pretty decent, the small ones always made her sad. She cared for each of her plants and wanted to see them grow into a big healthy crop. No matter, this was the only small one from today's harvest, she thought. As she stood and mused about her crop, Murphy had snuck up behind her and sniffed in the direction of the baby parsnip.
"Hm, do dogs like parsnips? Guess I'll find out." Piper spoke aloud and used her axe to cut the parsnip into a smaller, manageable chunk for the dog.
"Can you sit?" On cue, Murphy sat, his tail wagging furiously and throwing dirt in a wide radius as he waited for his treat. Piper smiled at the dog and gently fed it to him. While he eagerly crunched on the parsnip, Piper rubbed his head happily.
Piper continued to work on cleaning out her farm for the rest of the evening, stopping occasionally to toss a stick for Murphy. She was tired, but felt great for the first time in a while. Murphy had really energized her.
Instead of calling it a night, she instead unloaded all of her equipment into one of her chests and pulled out a small but sharp sword, a pick axe, and a few field snacks and headed off towards the mines.
---
Shane enjoyed the sound of the rain. Something about it calmed the knot in his gut a little bit, and for that he was grateful. The residents preferred to stay indoors, which was another added bonus for Shane, as he was able to take a night walk without having the guilt of ignoring someone.
It was the third rainy day of spring, but with the weather changing so much, it may as well have been a refreshing summer rain. Shane stood up from his perch under a pine tree to retrieve the empty beer cans at his feet. He checked his watch, 12:00 am.
'I don't have to work tomorrow morning, which is a first, so I better enjoy this while I can," Shane mused to himself. He slipped the empty cans in the trash and flipped his hood over his head before jamming his hands into his pockets and heading out for his walk.
He had been wandering aimlessly before he found himself north of town in the mountains. He rarely ever came up here, which was a shame because it was a breathtaking sight. It was so quiet, and if it weren't for the rain, Shane would bet he could see the stars beautifully. He made his way around the lake, taking his time to take in the sights where no one could interrupt him.
He was nearing the entrance to the old mines when he heard a bloodcurdling scream which made his blood run cold. His head whipped towards the ominous entrance, and after a few moments of debating, Shane rushed inside of the cavern. What he saw made his heart drop into a pit.
Piper stumbled out of the rickety old elevator, bloody and covered in bruises. She made eye contact with Shane for a brief second before falling to the ground with a low thud.
Shane hadn't moved that fast for as long as he could remember, but before he knew it he was at her side, brushing the hair from her face.
"Piper! Piper, hey, open your eyes for me!" Shane was trembling with fear as he tried his best to get the small girl to open her eyes. As he cradled her, he could start to see the true extent of her injuries. What the hell was down there?! The town knew it was dangerous, but no one knew why. After an excruciating few moments, Piper's eyes finally fluttered open. She looked up to Shane and offered a weak smile at him before her eyes began to close again. ".....so..tired.." He heard her mumble softly.
"No, no...No sleeping right now Piper. Come on, let's go." Shane's panic reignited when she wouldn't open her eyes again. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves before scooping up Piper and standing up. She was small, but that didn't necessarily mean she was light, Shane noted as he quickly made his way out of the mines and towards town.
On his way, he counted the rise and fall of her chest and he quickened his pace. He finally arrived at Harvey's office, which was locked of course. Shane kicked the door hard three times in order to get Harvey's attention.
"God, Harvey please hurry. Hey, farmer, stay with me here." Shane spoke quietly as he gently shook the girl in his arms. He could feel her stir, which was a sign as good as any, and he looked to the door impatiently. He was about to start kicking again when Harvey opened the door, very clearly still half asleep and suffering from some extreme bedhead. It took his brain a moment to register the scene before him, but in an instant Harvey was awake and ushering the pair into the clinic and out of the rain. Harvey began flipping on lights as he led Shane into a room.
"Shane? What happened to her? Why are you two out so late?" Harvey questioned as he pulled out numerous pieces of medical equipment after washing his hands.
"I was out for a walk in the mountains when I heard a scream from the mines. I went to inspect it and she fell out of the elevator in this condition and I've been trying to keep her awake since. I have no idea what she was doing down there this late," Shane explained and gently rested the farmer onto the examination table when Harvey indicated.
"Regardless of her intentions, she is very lucky that you were right there, Shane," Harvey noted, prepping gauze to wipe the blood from the farmer's face. "You can leave now, I can handle it from here."
"I want to stay." His answer shocked them both, but Shane stuck by it. "I want to be here when she wakes up." He offered no explanation, but thankfully Harvey didn't ask for one. He simply nodded once and gestured to the cot behind a curtain.
"Go ahead and lie down. I can wake you up when I am done."
"Thank you," Shane breathed, feeling suddenly exhausted. He made his way to the cot and pulled the curtain closed behind him and awkwardly laid down on the table. It wasn't comfortable, no, but at this point he would take anything. Shane tried his best to block out the pained noises emanating from the unconscious farmer as he slowly drifted to sleep.