the car was stolen. Gordon said he didn’t, but he must have had his suspicions.”
After she finished, she couldn’t speak for a moment. She’d fought hard to get this residency and then to be selected for the coveted fellowship. It was her long-held dream, but she couldn’t sacrifice what was left of her family for it.
“My sister and brother need more than I can give them now,” she finally said. “My brother... I’m afraid Gordon is headed for disaster. He’s just so...angry. My sister is still grieving, and her grades are diving. My aunt has been staying with us and doing her best, but she has to leave. I...just can’t be away all the hours required for the fellowship. I can’t give you or my siblings my best with...” Her voice trailed off. Every word had pain dripping from it.
“They’ve lost two parents,” Dr. Rainey said. “That’s a lot to handle.”
“My brother was...very close to Mom, considered himself the man of the house, and then he had to watch her die. He’s angry at the doctors who couldn’t save her, and I’m one of them. He feels I deserted him, as well.” She hesitated, then said the words she had practiced. “I promised Mom I would take care of Gordon and my sister, and I haven’t been able to do that.”
Dr. Rainey leaned forward. He seemed to hesitate, then said, “I don’t want to lose you. You’re one of the best residents we have and I think you would make a fine pediatric surgeon. I’m told by the attendings and nursing staff that your instincts are excellent.”
It was a rare compliment from Dr. Rainey and made what she had to do even harder.
Gordon’s arrest, though, made a change in lifestyle imperative. Gordon had been released with a number of conditions, including a curfew. His hearing would be in three weeks, and the attorney she’d hired had talked to Gordon’s caseworker. It was possible that he would be given a year’s probation and then his record could be cleared...expunged...if he stayed out of trouble.
She knew he wouldn’t. She’d caught him sneaking out after curfew last night. She knew as sure as the sun rose in the morning that he’d try again.
“What are you proposing to do?” Dr. Rainey asked after a few seconds.
“A position with stable day hours,” she said. “Maybe a clinic. Maybe after Gordon finishes high school, I can...” Her voice drifted off.
Dr. Rainey sat back in his chair and tapped a pen on his desk.
“I have a friend,” he said, “a general practitioner in a small town in Colorado. He’s had heart surgery. It leaves the town without a doctor within a hundred miles. He hopes to find someone to replace him while he recuperates.
Lisa was stunned. She hadn’t known what to expect but it certainly wasn’t what she realized what was coming.
“I’ve been to the town,” Dr. Rainey continued. “It’s small and friendly. You can step into a fully equipped practice. It would be good experience for you and a great environment for kids. There’s a lake, mountains, skiing. The school draws from the surrounding ranches and is said to be quite good.”
He paused. “The town will provide a house within walking distance of the office. If, at the end of a year, you’re still interested in the fellowship, I’ll try to bring you back.”
* * *
IT SEEMED TO be an answer to a prayer. She was exhausted from the hours at the hospital together with the ongoing drama at home. Still, she hesitated. “Our house...”
“If I remember correctly, you live near the hospital. I’m sure a resident or incoming staff member will be more than happy to rent it for a year.” He wrote down a number. “If you’re interested, call Eve Manning in Covenant Falls. She’s the mayor and can give you more details.” He looked up at her from his desk. If you’re interested, I’ll need to let my friend know ASAP.”
“Thank you,” she said, surprised at his understanding, even more so by the proposal. She had never lived anywhere other than a large city but right now a slower pace seemed inviting.
She thanked him and said she would certainly consider it. The more she thought about it during the day, the more feasible the idea seemed.
During a break, she looked up Covenant Falls on the web. The site featured a photo of a sunrise spreading gold across a pure blue lake with white-tipped mountains behind it. There were insets, including photos of a football field, a community center, an attractive main street and two teenagers riding horses.
From that moment, everything happened swiftly. She called the mayor, liked her instantly on the phone. She found herself relaying all her concerns, especially regarding the two rebellious teenagers, and by the end of the conversation was convinced Covenant Falls might be an answer.
She tried not to think of the fellowship. This was something she owed her parents, a debt she couldn’t ignore.
Two days later, Lisa used her day off to fly to Denver, full of apprehension, for a one-day visit to Covenant Falls.
She was picked up by Eve Manning and driven to Pueblo to meet with Dr. Bradley at the hospital there. He was hooked up to a monitor and his color was poor, but his eyes were challenging as they met hers.
“Dr. Rainey said you’re a good diagnostician,” he said. “But it takes more than that to be a small-town doctor. You need an instinct about people. You have to really care about them. They know if you do. And if you don’t. It’s not like a hospital where you see them once or twice before sending them to someone else.”
“I realize that,” she said, “and it appeals to me. It’s frustrating to treat a patient and never know what happens later. I intended to go into a private practice after completing my fellowship.”
“Cliff Rainey said you’re experiencing family problems?”
“Siblings. Teenagers,” she said frankly, and gave him a brief summary of what had happened. “What makes it hard is I’ve been absent when they needed me most. I thought my aunt could fill in, but it isn’t the same. I didn’t realize that until my brother, Gordon, was arrested.”
He nodded. “Sometimes we doctors are so busy taking care of our patients, we don’t have time to take care of our own families. I’m guilty, as well.”
He then asked medical questions, queried about diseases, treatments and protocols. “We have an older population with the ailments that come with it, but we also have our share of pregnancies, broken bones, flu and rattlesnake bites. We usually have a couple of those each year. We keep anti-venom in the office but then the patient has to be transported to a major hospital that maintains a larger stock.”
“As to staff,” he said, “I have a very competent nurse, but she isn’t qualified to write prescriptions. There’s also a part-time bookkeeper who works out of her own house. She can take care of most of the paperwork for Medicare and insurance companies.” He studied her for a moment. “I can’t pay you much, but the town is providing a home, and the experience will be useful.”
She nodded.
“Let me know what you decide after you visit Covenant Falls and see the clinic. The position is yours if you want it. If Cliff Rainey recommends you, that’s good enough for me.”
She breathed
