She remembered... a long day of helping in surgery. She remembered... Herger, pulling her out of the med tent for a question about flowers and then the following meal and... sitting with him holding her for a rather long time. That's the last thing she remembered, though. The fact that she was here and not by the fire suggested he had put her here and she suspected the stone at her feet had once been warm from the fire.
Rolling over, Orah swung her legs off the cot with a groggy moan, rubbing her sleep-mussed face as she sifted through embarrassment at falling asleep to gratitude and other softer thoughts for the man who had taken such thoughtful care of her. He had just gotten off his own shift and no doubt was ready for his own bed... there had been no requirement for him to see that she got food into her stomach nor that she get put to bed after so stupidly falling asleep. Sweet man... if anyone in this world deserved the title of 'Knight', it was Herger, powered or not.
Ugh, there was so much she hadn't gotten finished last night, but by now it had probably all been sorted and dealt with by the efficient volunteers who ran the Oasis under her. It left her... strangely at loose ends without even knowing what time it was. The dim light through her tent walls made it hard to place and sleeping through the day had messed up her internal clock. Since no one had come to wake her up, there was nothing that needed her immediate attention. There should be some time to clean up, change clothes, get some breakfast... but remembering their talk of flowers, there was one thing Orah wanted to do first.
Stripping off the scrubs from yesterday, the young woman slipped into a clean pair from the tub at the foot of her cot, the old ones going into a bag of other soiled clothing that would need washed soon. From there, she pulled out the plastic tub of odds and ends that made up what was left of a life Orah had left behind a few years go... some twenty odd years reduced to a single bin of memories and keepsakes. Setting aside the warped lid, Orah began to pull things out in her search. A photo in a frame of her mother, taken during her modeling career... Her father's glasses... Lulu's collar with its tiny gold bell... All things from those she had loved and lost. Other things in the box included a photo of Dresden, with a bit of tracing paper taped to it. The edges were rough from handling and there was a crease where once it had been gripped too tightly. It found its way onto the stack of other memories, no time spared to linger over it as she had in the past.
Finally, after a few minutes search, a small book appeared out of the clutter, its title proclaiming it the National Audobon Society Field Guide to North America Wildflowers. Orah smiled as she set it by her knees and tucked the rest away, reaching for it again as she took it to the small folding table that served as desk and bed table both. Another moment of digging produced a small square pad of yellow stickie note paper and a blue pen, which came to rest beside the book.
Herger wanted to learn about plants, but I don't think simply telling him will do him any good. Sweet man... I know he used to carry a notebook to remember things with. This will do far more for him than lessons on flowers in the field.
Lifting the book, Orah bent it gently and let the pages fan open, catching them when she saw something that struck her interest. A many petaled white flower with a large yellow center... easily recognizable, probably familiar to just about anyone.
Quote:
Daisy - She wrote on a note. Symbol of innocence, faith, purity and cheer. These grew wild by our house in Ireland when I was little and my mother made us crowns out of them.
Peeling the note free, she tucked it between the pages and moved on, flipping through for other interesting flowers to note. The things she wrote on the pad were not things found in the book... relating what she knew of flower language and other small facts she thought he might find interesting.
Quote:
Queen Anne's Lace - The story says Queen Anne of Scotland was tatting lace when she pricked her finger and a single drop of blood fell on the center of it. The lace became the flower and that's why the center flower is often red. These were growing outside of the medical tent.
Quote:
Poppy - Their meaning depend on their color; white stood for dreams and peace, yellow for wealth and success, red for pleasure. In modern times, they became a symbol to remember soldiers who died in war time. People often wear them on Veteran's day.
Orah spent a long while writing little notes and tucking them between pages, all in the hopes Herger might find them interesting or helpful to remembering. Lastly, she opened the front of the book to write a note on the inner cover;
To my dear friend Herger,
Orchids aren't a North American flower, but they are my favorite. You should find some flowers in here that you like and I can help you learn to spot them in the forrest. This book is my gift to you, so you will always be able to find out the name of a flower you see, even when I'm not around. I hope you find good use in this little book and happiness in the simple beauty the way I always have.
With love,
Ida
Satisfied with her work, Orah found a bit of string and tied the pad of stickie notes to the book and hooked the pen beside it. She would leave this on her friend's bed to find later when he got off his guard shift and hope he enjoyed it. It was such a small thing to do to return the care he'd shown her... hopefully it would repay some small bit of it.
Ivynian
For youuuuuu ~
