Grassy Creek (ePub)

Luke Sparks is a pediatric oncologist determined to find the cure for leukemia. However, this dream is elusive, and he fears he has lost his passion for medicine, his purpose for living, and has failed every patient he has not been able to save. He even contemplates if his own life is worth living. But that thought is thwarted by Joe, the eight-year-old patient he is taking with him for some time away from the cancer treatments, as Luke is returning to his childhood home of Grassy Creek, in the mountain town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina. He is seeking a respite and hopes of rekindling his passion, his purpose, and his life. Back home, Grassy Creek and rain, perhaps healing rain, stir his memory, and he returns to the summer of 1962, when he was fifteen and his dream began.
The summer of 1962 starts as planned, with Luke and his best friend, Raisin, and nothing but time. However, when Raisin's girl cousin, Joey shows up for the summer, Luke's plans and his life are changed. Joey learns of the joys and dangers of the mountains, dragging Luke and Raisin willingly along for the ride. They find adventure around every corner, and end up in the midst of a murder mystery the likes of none that has ever been witnessed in that town before. Then when one of them reveals a secret, the three then have to face reality and the hard questions of trust, faith, love, and death. Can the mountains, the memories, and healing rains rinse off the dust of the years and bring Luke the answers he has been seeking?
Joey is a free spirit-adventuresome yet contemplative, compassionate yet reckless-and Luke is completely enamored. Joey learns that summer of the joys and dangers of the mountain, dragging Luke and Raisin willingly along for the ride. They find themselves in the midst of many adventures, including a murder mystery, the likes of which have never been witnessed in that town before. As the seasons change, so do the three. Summer's first loves fade into autumn. Joey becomes ingrained in the town's culture and begins an internship with Dr. Peterson, learning all she can about medicine. Autumn gives way to winter, and with winter comes a new coldness. A snowstorm blows in while the three are manning Dr. Peterson's office as he is out of town and a pregnant Mavis stumbles into the office with the baby on the way. Successfully, Hope is born that night. However, hope is nowhere to be found as Thanksgiving approaches and Joey becomes distant. The three then have to face reality and face the hard questions of trust, faith, love, and ultimately death.
As Luke remembers, can the mountains, memories, and rain become healing and hope, thus rekindling Luke's passion for the dream that began so many years ago?