The Seal's Return

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 easier as she left. She glanced at her watch. It was one-thirty in the afternoon. She had left Chicago on an early flight that morning, but then there was the long drive from Denver. She understood it would be another hour and a half drive to Covenant Falls, then the drive back to Denver for another early-bird flight to Chicago.

Her aunt was staying with Kerry and Gordon. She hadn’t told them about the possibility of moving. She didn’t want to say anything until she felt reasonably confident the position was a real possibility.

“What do you think?” Eve asked when Lisa joined her in the hospital reception area.

“He said the job is mine if I want it,” she said.

“So now it’s my job to convince you to want it,” Eve said. She explained that the town was cradled on one side by mountains and the other by the plains. “There’s approximately three thousand people in the area, including ranches that aren’t in the city limits but contract for city services.”

“I’m going to be taking my sister and brother out of the schools and activities they know,” Lisa said. “What is there for them here?”

“The school is highly rated and will open in four weeks. We have football, baseball, basketball and track along with a terrific music and drama department. Then there’s skiing clubs, Boy Scouts and Explorer Scouts, community baseball and football. There’s also a lot of special-interest groups—music, mechanics, computers, a horseback riding club.”

“It sounds great. To me. I’m not sure it will to them. They love the city.”

“Maybe because they’ve never experienced anything else,” Eve said.

Lisa was silent the rest of the drive into town. Rolling plains reached toward the mountains. The two-lane road was bordered by fences with occasional breaks leading to houses and barns. As they entered the town of Covenant Falls, it looked even smaller than she’d imagined. She counted all of three stop signs. Eve parked in front of an attractive building she identified as city hall, and they walked across the road to the Covenant Falls Medical Clinic.

She met the nurse, Janie Blalock, who didn’t look much younger than Dr. Bradley. The nurse was friendly and showed her around the office, including a small X-ray room. It was, Lisa thought, probably well equipped for a small-town doctor but she would miss all the state of the art diagnostic technology available in Chicago.

“Time for lunch,” Eve announced when Lisa finished the tour.

Lisa thanked Janie, then she and Eve walked half a block to a glass-fronted building with a big sign proclaiming it to be Maude’s. The diner was nearly empty, and they took a seat next to the window. A large motherly looking woman immediately came over.

“This is Maude,” Eve said. “She owns this place and it has great food.”

“This the new doctor?” Maude asked.

Lisa looked helplessly at Eve.

“She’s looking us over,” Eve said lightly.

“You’re a sight prettier than Doc Bradley,” Maude said. “Your meal is on the house,” she added. She studied Lisa solemnly. “Seems to me you need a bit of meat on you. How about a steak?”

“They’re good here,” Eve said. “My husband swears by them.”

Lisa wasn’t sure. The last few days of uncertainty and worry had her stomach in turmoil. But she also had to eat and she still had a long day ahead. She nodded. “A steak and salad with dressing on the side, please. And an iced tea.”

“I’ll take the same,” Eve said.

When Maude left, Eve turned to her. “What do you think?”

“I like Dr. Bradley. I like the clinic. I like the mountains. But I’m not sure Kerry and Gordon will feel the same.”