- that photographic memory of yours is still working, isn’t it? - Yes, that’s the guy. We just had a three-hour discussion on a very serious problem at one of the local hospital here in Colorado - and I promised him I’d call you and ask if you’d be interested in helping us out. I guess you’d call it a crisis.”
“Now that sounds interesting!”
Although Bill hadn’t anticipated it, he could sense an excitement in Mary’s voice.
“In fact, that’s the most interesting thing I’ve heard in a long time. It would certainly be an improvement over golf, bridge and shopping. When can I start?”
Bill was so shocked at her immediate response he didn’t know how to react. And after he described what Dave wanted, he finally answered her question. “And I believe you could start as soon as they agree to hire you.”
“I’d need to keep my home in Florida, but I’d love to help you guys out. In fact, I think I’ve needed something like this.”
After discussing a few more of Dave’s concerns, Mary agreed to meet with the Administrator.
“You know, the most satisfying years of my life were the years I worked with you,” she whispered before hanging up.
Chapter 2
Another Time – Another Place
Bill was so surprised by Mary’s response that he just sat there remembering the perfect Nursing Director he’d accidently hired with those remarkable blue eyes - but more importantly he thought back to how much she’d helped him to save that damned hospital in North Dakota. Then as he thought about her actually moving to Colorado, he recalled the time when he’d just returned from a trip to Chicago and Susan said, “The Swanson’s want us to meet them at Lake Sakakawea on Sunday. Apparently they’ve got a boat, and they’d like to take us out on the lake. I think they also want to discuss some things concerning the hospital. In any event, they gave me directions with the hope we could make it. I probably should’ve said I needed to check with you first, but I said we’d meet them. Is that okay?” she’d asked.
“Yes, that’s fine, I hear their boat is really something to see. Guess what? - I’ve talked to James Baker about recruiting my replacement, in that I’ve now just about completed everything I came here to do, and it looks like I can turn this job over to someone else in a few months,” he’d replied.
Bill recalled how Susan smiled, not knowing if she could depend on what she was hearing, since they were both anxious to return to Minneapolis - but Susan wasn’t about to get her hopes up too high just yet, knowing it would be difficult for Bill to keep his usual job enthusiasm if they both were anxious to leave, so she just said, Oh - really. Then he remembered how on Sunday they drove west toward Garrison, looking for the first dirt road going south toward the bay, when he spotted Doc’s boat.
My God, his boat is huge. It looks like a small steamboat, Susan whispered as they stepped onto that rickety old handmade dock that groaned with each step. Doc’s powerful diesels had no problem pulling the huge steel hull from that shallow bottom as the reverse props churned up the mud until the bow of the boat was pointing out towards the mouth of the bay, and the open water.
As Doc powered up the diesels, Bill recalled how this respected general surgeon had grown up on a ranch just north of Lake Sakakawea, which his father eventually left to him. Each year Doc had leased out thousands of acres of land, farming only a small section himself, while maintaining less than a thousand head of cattle and a few riding horses. And in spite of his busy surgical practice, the ranch still remained profitable and his surgical practice soon became one of the best in the state, supporting the Sister’s mission at the hospital for over thirty years. Because Doc had been involved in hiring Bill, he was one of the very few that knew Bill intended to leave after he’d salvaged the hospital - but more importantly he’d kept that a secret and Bill knew he could be trusted with this. As he stared at him, he noticed how Doc’s green eyes always had a twinkle to them. Suddenly Doc yelled over the diesels, just as they crossed under the New Town Bridge, “The water’s so deep here they’ve yet to find the bottom,” pointing at the depth finder, which was wavering up and down below the hundred foot mark on the gauge. Then pointing up at a cliff on the north end of the New Town Bridge he yelled, “That’s called lover’s leap, and you can almost see the entire reservoir from up there.” Then as he turned the boat south he explained, “I’m heading for our favorite beach where we can hike a bit and swim in some very refreshing cold water, if you’re up to it.”
As the boat glided toward the south shore, Doc idled down both diesels. “I’m planning a fresh walleye dinner tonight,” he grinned. “While you and Mary talk over some business, Susan and I will take the fishing boat and catch some fresh Walleye for dinner.”
Then driving the square nosed bow onto the sand beach he suddenly powered up both diesels, climbing a full five feet onto the shore before shutting things down and heading back to change into his swimsuit, just as Mary casually walked into the room in a very brief bikini, saying, “Well it looks like we’ve finally landed.”
Bill remembered how stunned he was, seeing her in a bikini. It was hard to believe he’d been meeting daily with her in a starched white nursing uniform that had concealed such an attractive body, as he awkwardly attempted to continue with some meaningless conversation. It was fortunate they were the only two in the room since it took Bill a while before he felt comfortable with her nakedness. Her tan also suggested she must’ve lived in bikinis during her time away from the hospital, and it was obvious that her Las Vegas show girl experience had conditioned her to be completely at ease without much on. Later, as both Doc and Mary casually strolled along the shoreline, it was even more difficult not to notice her hour glass shape while trying to pay attention to the peaceful surroundings that Doc was describing in great detail.
When they finally returned to the boat, Doc said, “Susan lets go catch those Walleye for dinner. Mary and Bill have some business to discuss, so we’ll let them talk while we fish.”
Bill remembered how both Mary and he stood watching their small boat slowly disappear around the point before she turned to Bill and laughed, saying - “Bill, it’s good to see you relaxing in a bathing suit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything but a suit and tie.”
“I must admit,” Bill chuckled, “seeing you in a bikini is a shock compared to that damn white nursing uniform I see you in every day.”
Laughingly Mary looked away, flipping her hair off to the side - then as she turned back to talk, her face suddenly became very serious, and her jaw visibly tightened. Pursing her lips tightly she stared at him. “I’ve got several things I need to discuss with you, and I know it’s not good to mix business with pleasure, but what we need to talk about would best be discussed away from the hospital.”
“Alright! - What’s on your mind?” Bill asked as they both sat down.
“Well, first let me tell you that on Monday we’re putting the ranch up for sale, and we thought you should hear about that before it happened. We’re building a home on a golf course in Fort Myers, Florida, and Doc’s retiring in about eight months. We’ve also purchased a manufactured home to live in after we sell our ranch - for when we return to North Dakota in the summers. As you know, Doc will be seventy-five years old, and it’s time he starts winding down his practice. Bill - I’ve certainly enjoyed my job with you, and I’m really going to miss working with you - very much,” she added as an after thought - again pursing her lips with one hand over her mouth to cover her obvious emotions.
