He Calls Her Doc. Mary Brady

do to help you?”

      “He can’t be gone. He’s not leaving until next week.” The voice on the phone neared panic.

      “Come to the clinic. I’m here now.”

      “No. I can’t come to see you. Maybe I’ll try his mobile phone. Maybe he’ll—”

      Suddenly, the line went dead.

      Maude stared at the silent phone in her hand, then set it softly into the cradle. Should she try to call her, search for her? But where had the woman called from? Her car? Her home?

      Reason told Maude to wait for another call. So she forwarded the clinic phone to her mobile and walked slowly to her car.

      When Doc Avery was still in town and Maude was learning about his patients, Mrs. McCormack had found excuses not to have Maude see any of her family members.

      Maude had tried to tell herself Mrs. McCormack was used to Dr. Avery. He had delivered her and her two children, after all. But when Mrs. McCormack had canceled her husband’s appointment with Maude and had him wait an extra day to have his earache treated by Doc Avery, it seemed more than loyalty.

      On the way home, Maude stopped at the grocery store, where she acquired dinner without even hesitating behind a display of anything. A few people smiled and some stared. When she was in her car and almost home, her phone rang.

      “You’ve got to come. Come now. Sammy can hardly breathe. Please, help me.”

      “Where are you, Mrs. McCormack?” Sammy, the four-year-old McCormack. Red hair. They all had red hair.

      “We—I was going to take him to Kalispell. I wanted him to see a doctor.”

      Maude let that one go.

      “Where are you now?”

      “Oh God, help me. I’m just outside of town.”

      “Can you get to the clinic in a few minutes? Safely?”

      “Yes! Yes!”

      “Put the phone down and drive, I’ll be there before you get there.” It didn’t make sense to go out into the community to see the boy. She had none of her emergency equipment, and by the time the rescue crew could be mustered the boy would already be at the clinic.

      Maude thumbed off the phone, parked and unsnapped the phone’s cover. Tucked inside the casing, she kept the on call roster for the clinic staff. The roster let her know who expected to be called for emergencies. Abby was off, but Phyllis was a good nurse and her husband assured Maude that Phyllis would be there soon.

      After she got to the clinic and prepared, she went outside to wait. A few minutes later, a car screamed up the street with the horn blowing. A van pulled over and let her by. The people of St. Adelbert did care for one another.

      Mrs. McCormack’s car nearly sideswiped another as she turned sharply onto the ramp. In one fluid motion, she screeched to a halt and jumped out of the car. The blue van pulled in behind her.

      Maude wrenched open the rear car door and leaned in. The four-year-old looked up at her in distress. “It’s all right, Sammy. We’ll get you some help right away.”

      She lifted him from his safety seat, and with his body hot in her arms, she hurried into the clinic. His feathery red hair brushed her cheek. His little chest heaved in the struggle to move air in and out.

      He pleaded for help with his eyes. “It’ll be okay, Sammy. I’ll make everything okay.” At least his color was good.

      Somewhere in a corner of her mind, she realized she had seen Guy Daley get out of the van. What did he want?

      “What’s wrong with him, Doctor?” Mrs. McCormack followed, breathless with fear.

      “Tell me what’s been happening, and I’ll figure it out.” She hurried into the room stocked with pediatric equipment, where she jerked the head section of the patient cart into the upright position with one hand, and then gently placed Sammy on the cart.

      “Sammy, I’m going to put a mask on your face. Just like the jet pilots wear when they fly up in the big blue sky.”

      He nodded again and she slid a small mask onto his face to deliver moisturized oxygen. She looked up at Mrs. McCormack.

      “He had a fever this morning, and then he started to cough like he couldn’t stop. About two hours ago he started having a bit of trouble breathing and it kept getting worse. What are you going to do for him, Doctor?”