As typical childhoods go, Juliet's measured up somewhere around the 50th percentile. Life for her began at George Washington Hospital in Washington, DC on a Sunday afternoon. Juliet privately thought this was a lot to live up to - the child that's born on the Sabbath Day being 'fair and wise and good and gay'. Monday, now, that's the day to be born. Fair of face. If only her mother could have held out just a few more hours … Oh well. At least it's better than poor Wednesday's child, who's full of woe. Which is all to say, or rather to imply, both that Juliet was always the thoughtful type, and that the Davies family put a lot of stock in things like the Sabbath Day.
In point of fact, the Davies were Episcopalian, an thus were Juliet's Sundays claimed by church and youth group. In addition to being Episcopalian, Juliet's mother and father were a mid-level government employee and a college English professor, respectively. This later, of course, explaining the source of her name, not to mention that of her elder brother Will. More or less every family living in the Maryland suburb where Juliet grew up made their living from the government in one way or another, so she never thought of it as particularly remarkable that her mother had a security clearance with the Department of Defense. She was always rather closer to her father, anyway, who exemplified the stereotype of a soft, kindhearted, bearded, cardigan-wearing English professor. Besides, he was the one there when Juliet got back from school in the afternoons.
As for Juliet herself, she perhaps measured more near the 75th percentile. Certainly she was never the slowest of the students in her classes, but neither was she the brightest or most favored by her teachers. She did well enough, and spent only an average amount of time on her studies. Neither was she the most popular student at school, certainly no cheerleader or student body president, but then again she wasn't ignored by classmates or ridiculed in the hallways, either. She made friends with ease, was friendly with students from all different groups of kids, but had only a handful of close girlfriends. With them, she attended the previously mentioned Youth Group, tried out for the school play, failed to make the soccer team, had slumber parties, and did all the normal things girls do.
College was more of an expectation than an option, and so Juliet dutifully followed. She had no real concept of what she expected to with herself in 'the Real World', as adults so often called it, so a liberal arts college seemed as good a choice as any. To her father's disappointment, she chose not to attend GW, but instead enrolled at a little school in Eastern Maryland, where things progressed for her much as they ever had. Things were easy enough, she did well enough, she had friends enough. It was, therefore, somewhat of a rude awakening when Senior year came to (what felt like) an abrupt end and she found herself without job or career path. The next year was spent living back in her parents house and battling the Washington job market. A few temporary positions came and went, without any enthusiasm, until she applied for a medical receptionist position on a whim. There was another whole year spent there, learning, absorbing, and developing a real interest for the work. She discovered she had a real skill with dealing with the patients, too. Never having /excelled/ at anything before, Juliet was thrilled. She applied to a local nursing training program, and from there she was on her way.
After she graduated, she went from clinic jobs to hospital work. Another bout of schooling got her a credential in critical care, and four and a half years after graduating from college she found herself back where she'd started - George Washington Hospital, working as a nurse in the Emergency Room. That's where she was on November 8th, 2006.
For no reason Juliet's ever been clear of, the bomb hit her hard. She walked around in a daze for weeks, and went home and cried herself to sleep more nights than not. She sent money, donated blood. And yet, it never felt like enough. It wasn't during the immediate aftermath that Juliet relocated to the broken city, but perhaps six months later. While the resulting injuries (and casualties) and been dealt with by then, there was still the fallout from the destruction of many of the city's hospitals - and with them, hospital workers. When Juliet heard that a New York hospital was in need of staff, she called that afternoon and was on her way north just a week and a half later.
As usual, it didn't take long for Juliet to make friends in New York, to set down roots. Sure, her apartment is half the size and three times the price. But there are always trade-offs. Actually, it was probably the church that really helped to her settle (not that she'd ever admit this to her mother). It only took a few weeks before familiar faces at services became friends, and through them she got involved in the soup kitchen and health fairs - and from there came new friends, new projects. The health fairs have become her particular passion, and she's become known around hospital for begging donations off anyone willing.
