Small Town Doctor Read online

  She was sure her humble little cabin was nothing to the doctor, especially since she remembered Ryan mentioning he’d come to Clearwater from Denver. Nevertheless, the cabin was home to her. There wasn’t electricity, but she managed with solar power for the few lights they had. The fireplace heated the small abode and the wood burning stove served her fine. The well and septic gave them all the amenities needed and they didn’t have to rough it by fetching water from the nearby creek or using an outhouse like her grandparents had years ago.

  She’d turned the small cabin into a home for her and Abbi. The only thing missing was children for Abbi to play with. That was one thing that no matter how much Ella wanted she couldn’t give her that. It meant they’d have to go into town and she couldn’t get past her fears.

  “You’re a million miles away.”

  She turned to find James standing behind her and she almost dropped the pot of coffee. “I was thinking.”

  “Care to share?”

  She filled two mugs before turning back to him. “You’re right, Doctor Macis. I’ve known for a while now that Abbi needs playmates, friends, but I can’t help that.”

  “What do I have to do for you to call me James?” He smirked at her before taking the mug of coffee from her.

  “Sorry, it’s been so long since I’ve had to deal with anyone.…” She paused, uncertain. “James, what am I supposed to do? I can’t give her what she needs.”

  “We’ll take care of it. First we need to make sure she’s well again.” He laid his hand on her arm. “Tell me why you’re so scared. What did the town’s residents do that made you sneak away to the mountains?”

  “Not what they’ve done, more like what I’ve done.” She slipped out of his grasp and moved across the open space to the sofa by the fireplace. “I brought danger and death to Clearwater.”

  He came and sat down on the sofa, keeping his distance from her. “How?”

  She raised an eyebrow in question. Did he really not know what happened or was he just digging for more gossip? “Are you telling me Ryan told you nothing about why we we’re living so far up the mountain?”

  “He mentioned very little.” He sat the mug on the coffee table before them. “I’d like to know what actually happened but I won’t pressure you. If you wish to tell me then it will be your decision. Otherwise I’ll see if I can get Ryan on the radio.”

  “You were trying that before I went outside with no luck.” She took a sip of coffee. “After my grandparents passed away my parents moved back to Dad’s hometown, Cheyenne. I was visiting them when I met Josh, Abbi’s father. A few months after my trip down there Josh and a few of his buddies came to visit. It was when I was living in Jackson Hole.”

  “I get the impression something went wrong on that visit.”

  “Everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong. The whole trip was a disaster.” She set the mug aside. “Josh and his friends went wild. They were drinking, doing drugs, and as the days went by things became worse. Until the visit ended in senseless bloodshed.”

  “What happened?”

  “Josh decided we had to go to the bar in Clearwater, On the Rocks. Knowing he’d drink until he could barely walk, I wanted to stay in Jackson Hole.” She closed her eyes as memories of that night came flooding back. It was the first time Josh had become violent, but it hadn’t been the last. It was only a sample of what was coming after they left the bar. “That’s when things got out of hand.”

  “Ryan mentioned he killed a man. Is that where it happened?”

  “Yes. He got into it with a guy at the bar. Instead of keeping Josh in check, his friends took off, leaving me trying to stop him, but I couldn’t. H…he flung me aside and…I banged my head on the corner of the bar. I must have passed out because when I came to everyone was in the parking lot and Josh…he was beating the guy’s head into the sidewalk.” She wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging herself. “I screamed for him to stop and when he looked up…it was like he was a different person. The eyes that stared back at me were not his. I didn’t know who was in front of me and it scared me.”

  “It’s okay.” He scooted across the sofa, coming closer to her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “He can’t hurt you or anyone else any longer.”

  “Not now but he left plenty of scars on me as a lasting memory.”

  “This is why you’ve taken refuge here?” He caressed her shoulder, offering welcome comfort.

  “Ryan believes I did it because I’m afraid of what the town residents think of me. Maybe that’s part of it…but there’s something more terrifying.” She wanted to curl into his embrace, to wrap herself in the first comforting touch she’d felt in years.

  “Tell me why.”

  “Josh is Abbi’s father. I…I’ve seen the worst in him and I’m terrified it’s part of my baby girl. I must stay here to keep her away from others. I’m scared of what her temper will be like if she’s faced with ridicule, or learns what her father did. This is the only way.”

  “Ella, look at me.” He used his forefinger to guide her chin until she looked up at him. “It’s more about how the child is raised than genetics. A child mimics actions they see from others. If he was here with you, it’s likely she could see his anger, how he uses it to control you or others, and she might do the same. That isn’t the case.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Ryan speaks highly of you and how you’re raising Abbi. His only concern is she’s not being socialized, and that’s my concern as well.” He used the back of his hand to wipe away the stray tear that was rolling down her cheek. “The love you show her every day is going to ensure she’s raised right.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t know that.”

  “I’m a doctor. I’ve seen and worked with children with temper issues. Not once in all the time I’ve been here have you or Ryan gave me any reason to be concerned about Abbi. There’s also something else you need to consider…everyone has a temper but that doesn’t mean they’ll kill someone. Some people have tempers that are easier to spark than others, but there are also other outlets for the anger. You can teach Abbi ways to control her rage. If it would make you feel better I can speak with her once she’s feeling better, to evaluate her.”

  “No, she must not know what Josh did.”

  “I wouldn’t tell her anything of the kind. You can be there when I speak with her if you’d like. I’m offering to give you some peace of mind, not because I believe she’ll say anything that makes me concerned.” He let his hand fall away from her cheek. “I think it would help you if you get the rest of the story about Josh off your chest. Ryan mentioned he arrested Josh…did he show up at the bar?”

  “No.” She pulled away, just enough that his arm was still around her but enough to give her some space. “Josh forced me back into his truck. We couldn’t go back to my apartment because he thought the police would be waiting for us. My grandfather had another cabin about halfway down the mountain. It’s where he lived before he build this place and married my grandmother. We went there, but it’s closer to the main road. One of the residents saw Josh’s truck and Ryan showed up.”

  “Alone?”

  “Sheriff Ryder is a one man team…or haven’t you heard that yet?” She tried to make light of it.

  “Oh, I’ve heard.” He leaned back against the sofa. “He hired a deputy, part-time, but he’s always on call, never takes a day off.”

  “When Ryan showed up things were heated, or maybe a better word is bloody. Josh thought while I was in the bar I had called the police and he…he nearly killed me for it.” She swallowed deep before continuing. “Ryan busted down the door and pulled Josh off me. He got a few extra punches in my honor before he handcuffed him. That was the last time I saw him. Thankfully, they didn’t need me to testify at his trial, so I didn’t even go. He doesn’t even know he’s a father.”

  “If I can convince you that you have nothing to worry about with Abbi’s temper, will you br
ing her into town occasionally to socialize her?” He leaned forward to look at her.

  “I don’t know.” She glanced toward Abbi’s bedroom before looking back at him. “I just don’t know. I want her have friends her own age, but what if they tell her what Josh did?”

  “You can’t protect her forever, but if there’s one thing I know about Clearwater…it’s the best place to live. The residents want to put what happened behind them as much as you do. They don’t want their children to know about what happened. Clearwater residents shelter their children from what other areas have to deal with. I don’t believe anyone will mention what happened to Abbi, nor do I think anyone holds what happened against you. From what you told me they saw Josh attack you just as he attacked others.”

  She was questioning if he was right when a scream cut through her heart. “Mommy!”

  “I’m coming.” She rushed to her daughter’s bedroom as fear gripped her. To hear Abbi call for her after being unconscious for so long both excited and terrified her. They’d broken the fever hours ago but this was the first sign of recovery Abbi had shown. What else would they face before her daughter was the same cheerful little girl she’d been only days before?

  Chapter Four

  James was nearly on Ella’s heels as they raced toward Abbi’s room. The cry might have been enough to start Ella dashing to the child’s bedroom but it was the coughing fit that sped his pulse. He suspected it might have been pneumonia or at the very least a nasty lung infection, but now that she was awake he was seeing evidence of the cough.

  “Mommy.” The little girl cried out as Ella came through the entryway.

  “It’s all right, sweetie. Mommy is right here.”

  At the bedside, James stood just behind Ella. “I need to check her vitals.”

  “Sweetie, this is Doctor Macis, he came to help you feel better.” She moved back, giving him access to Ella.

  “Abbi, I’m just going to listen to your lungs, okay?” He moved the girl’s shirt aside to press his stethoscope to her chest. He had just started to listen to what he needed to hear when Ella interrupted him.

  “Listen.”

  “That’s what I was trying to do.” He glanced up to see she was looking toward the doorway. He quickly pulled the stethoscope from his ears when he heard the sheriff’s radio that he left next to the sofa crackle to life. “I got it. Stay with her and don’t let her get out of this bed. She needs to rest.” He shot off the mattress and nearly ran back to the living room. Hopefully this was good news. He’d made progress with Ella but he didn’t think she was ready to be thrown into the Clearwater social scene…and that would most certainly happen if they had to take Abbi to the hospital.

  “James, come in, James.” The radio crackled to life, filling the small space with Ryan’s voice.

  He snatched the radio off the coffee table and brought it closer to his mouth. “I’m here. What the hell has taken you so long?”

  “There was a car accident at Main Street and Crawford Lane. A visitor to Winterbloom took the curve too quickly and nearly ended up part of the church.” The static had Ryan’s voice fading in and out.

  “What news do you have for me about Abbi?”

  “Results are back. It’s pneumonia. There were a few other questions raised about the blood work, but Michael’s on his way up. I’m still at the scene dealing with the clean-up, but Michael knows the way, he was there after Abbi was born. He’ll honk his horn when he arrives, meet him outside.”

  “Got it. He better be bringing supplies.”

  “He is and I’ll be up once I get this mess cleared up. Any change with the child?” In the background there was a man hollering at someone but James couldn’t make out the words.

  “We broke her fever and she’s awake.”

  “Good. I’ll be there when I can.” Ryan ended the conversation and was back to work as the town’s Sheriff.

  James stood there for a moment, radio in hand, his thoughts scattered. The knowledge Abbi had pneumonia and not something worse made the muscles in his shoulders relax a bit.

  “Is Ryan on his way back?”

  He turned to find Ella in the doorway, her arms crossed over her midriff. “No, my brother-in-law is going to bring medication that should help her.”

  “Brother-in-law?”

  He could see the fear rising in her eyes. He wanted to go to her, wrap his arms around her. Everything in him wanted to tell Ella he’d protect her, but he barely knew the woman and couldn’t go making promises he couldn’t keep. She deserved better than that and didn’t need her first encounter with people, after so much isolation, to be one that was uncomfortable. He took a step forward before stopping himself. “Doctor Michael Johnson. Ryan said he’s been here before.”

  She nodded, but the fear didn’t leave her eyes. “He was here after I gave birth to Abbi.”

  “There’s no need to worry, he’s only bringing the medication I need. Abbi has pneumonia, she needs things I don’t have with me.” He crossed the space until he was standing just in front of her. “He’s not coming in, so you don’t have to worry. My sister Jessi is his wife, and they have twin girls, Kari and Kami. I don’t want him taking the germs to the girls. You don’t have to worry about anything. You can wait in here with Abbi while I get the supplies and he’ll be on his way. No harm done.”

  “He was a good doctor, but he’d have pushed for Abbi to go to the hospital. He didn’t agree with me raising her out here.”

  “If anyone would have understood I thought it would be Michael. He was born here, only leaving while he was in medical school.” He touched her arm. “It doesn’t matter because she’s staying right here for now anyway.”

  “So she doesn’t have to go to the hospital?”

  He shook his head. “As long as she continues to improve.” Even as he said it, he knew there was a major catch in that.

  “Oh, thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. “Thank you for saving my baby.”

  “She’s not out of the woods yet. Her lungs still sound congested and it’s likely she has a lung infection too.” She let go of him and stepped back. “Now that we’ve got her rehydrated, I’m going to start her on a different IV once Michael arrives and that will speed her recovery. However, you’re going to have to make a decision, though I suspect I know your answer.”

  “What would that be?” She leaned back against the wall.

  “You have no phone, no transportation, and no options if something changes. I can’t leave her here when there’s no way for you to get help.”

  “Wait, you just said—”

  “Let me finish.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Either she comes down to the hospital, and I’ll make sure you have a private room, with no one else caring for besides me, or…”

  “Or?” She looked at him when he paused.

  “Or I’ll have to stay here.”

  “You’ll what?” She stepped away from the wall, her eyes wide with shock.

  “It’s the only way. If I’m here I can help her, and if for some reason her condition worsens, we can take her into town. So…do I get to bunk on your sofa tonight, or shall I begin loading my truck?” He turned as if to start gathering the supplies he’d laid out on the coffee table.

  She grabbed hold of his arm before he could step away from her. “You can have the bed in my room and I’ll sleep with Abbi.”

  “You’d get more sleep in your room, and I’ll need to check on Abbi occasionally throughout the night.”

  “I’d rather stay with her to ensure she’s fine.” She glanced to the window. “I haven’t had much of an appetite myself but I’m sure you’re hungry. I’ll whip you up something to eat while you finish checking Abbi’s vitals.”

  “I appreciate it, but I just need more coffee.”

  “Coffee? I thought it was a myth that doctors lived on that.” The humor in her eyes wasn’t there long. “Pneumonia…that’s how my grandmother died.”
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  “It’s not like that. Pneumonia is deadly to those who are already ill, the very young and the old. Abbi’s young, but besides, you said she’s been healthy. We’re going to make sure she’s fine, now don’t you worry.”

  He’d be damned if he’d let Abbi die. In the last few hours the little family had stolen his heart. Now he knew why Ryan was willing to go out of his way to help them, to go against the grain just to get the little girl medical care without disrupting the family dynamics. He was willing to do the same. Did he still think Abbi could be helped more in a hospital than in the cabin? Yes, but it wasn’t that simple any longer. It was more about what was in the best interest of the child, and the best thing for her was to keep her home. For the first time in his life he understood why some people chose to remain at home when they were sick or dying.

  This little trip into the mountains of Clearwater gave him a new perspective in his medical training. He actually understood what the family went through. He wasn’t a good doctor just because of the training but because he was compassionate and could understand them, what they needed. But he’d never been in a situation like this before.

  He was going to make sure little Abbi made a perfect recovery, and then he was going to work on getting Ella to trust him. To trust the residents of Clearwater. She could choose to live in the mountains, but both her and Abbi needed socialization.

  I’m going to make you trust me, Ella Carmichael. No matter what.

  He wondered about his motives, his emotions. Something about Ella tugged at his heart, but he couldn’t pinpoint it. He’d find out what it was—soon. In the meantime, Abbi needed him.

  * * *

  Almost an hour after the radio crackled to life, the sound of tires crunching up the roadway brought James to his feet. He crossed the living room and had his hand on the door before the truck stopped. He wanted to get Michael on his way as quickly as he could to ease Ella’s worries.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” he called over his shoulder as he opened the door.