The next morning, I woke up and texted Karen. She texted back that Copper had passed some of the blockage. The vet was going to be there in an hour to check him out. I was so relieved, but I still wanted to get out there as soon as I could.

Doc wanted to make breakfast, but I insisted on getting going. He made me promise to eat after I’d seen my horse. And to stay in the house. He said he’d let me have some time with Copper before he placed me under house arrest. He had a quick shower, then packed a bag of clothes and reading material. I got dressed while he was in the shower. In the haste to get out to the farm, both of us forgot my morning temperature and lung check. I was coughing but it didn’t seem to be as bad as the day before.

As soon as we got there, I went to the barn. Steve had just arrived and was examining Copper. Karen was there, too. When he came out of the stall, I introduced him to Dr Richards. “Copper is doing better”, he said to me. “He’s passed some stool, but not enough. Enough, though, that he won’t need surgery. I’d like to give him more fluids and laxatives, if you are okay with that.”

“Of course. Anything you need to do, Steve.” He went to his truck and got his equipment.

Doc asked me if he could go in the stall and watch. “Sure, Copper is quiet, he doesn’t kick up a fuss over this.” He gingerly made his way over to the horse, looking around for manure or wet spots. The stall was bedded with fine shavings so as to make it easier to see the manure and therefore know how much the sick horse had passed. Normally, I bed my stalls with lots of straw.

Doc watched intently as Steve put the naso-gastric tube through the horse’s nose and down into his stomach. “With humans, they understand that they have to swallow the tube, how do you get a reluctant horse to do it?” he asked the vet.

“You can’t”, Steve replied. “Sometimes, we have to give up and try something else or hope for the best.” He gave Copper fluids and a laxative through the tube. Doc asked a bunch of questions, comparing horse and human medicine. Steve told him they use a lot of the same medications in veterinary medicine, just in larger quantities for farm animals and smaller quantities for dogs and cats. They chatted some more while Steve tended to Copper.

Karen was holding onto my horse for the vet. We got to chatting, so I didn’t hear else what Steve and the doc were talking about.

When Steve was done, he picked up his equipment and exited the stall. I walked him to his truck. “Copper has turned a corner”, he said. “But, he’s not out of the woods yet. He needs to clear the entire impaction. I think the laxative and fluids I just gave him will help a lot, but keep an eye on him - or, rather, have Karen keep an eye on him. You need to rest and get better.”

“Oh geez, not you, too, Steve”, I said and rolled my eyes. “Dr Richards is hovering over me like a mother hen. He won’t let me do anything.”

“He’s really worried about you, Meredith.”

“He worries too much.”

“He cares deeply about you.”

“I know he cares. He’s a doctor, he cares about all his patients, just like you care about yours.”

“No, it’s more than that. You are special to him.”

“He said that?”

“He didn’t have to. I could see it in his face when he talks about you. I know you don’t like being idle or having someone tell you what to do, but try and do what he says. You always follow my advice regarding your animals, don’t you?”

“Of course I do, Steve.”

“So, why don’t you follow your doctor’s advice for yourself?” I didn’t have an answer for him. “Think about what I said. Let Karen take care of Copper and go inside and rest. I’ll call her later to see how he’s doing.”

“Thanks, Steve. You are a godsend.”

“You won’t say that when you get my bill.” He winked at me and got in his truck and drove away. I went back in the barn. Doc and Karen were talking. My ears were burning. “You can stop talking about me now”, I said. Both had a guilty look on their faces.

“I’m going to give you 10 minutes with your horse. Then it’s into the house”, Doc commanded.

“Aw…”

“Don’t ‘Aw, Doc’ me”, he said before I could finish. “I told you before we left my place that you were confined to the house after you had some time with your horse. Now, the clock is running. The more time you spend arguing, the less time you have with Copper.”

I went into the stall and wrapped my arms around my horse, burying my face in his neck, taking in that horse smell that I love so much. After a few minutes, I retrieved a curry comb and brush from the aisle and groomed him, talking to him all the while.

All too soon, time was up and Doc appeared at the stall door. “Time to go inside, hon”, he said.

“No, Doc, I’m staying out a bit longer.”

Doc look surprised. “Didn’t we have a deal?”

“The only deal I remember making is I’d go back to town if you said I had to.”

“Do you really want to push me?” I glared at him. “Ok, fine, Meredith - get in the car. We’re going back to my place.”

“No.”

He came into the stall and grabbed my arm. “Now, Meredith.” His voice was firm.

I wrestled free of his arm, walked out of the stall, grabbed my purse from on top of a feed bin and exited the barn. Doc was right behind me. I didn’t know where Karen was. As I walked toward the cars in the laneway, I pulled my keys from my purse. Instead of going to his car, I went to mine. Fortunately, I never lock my vehicles out here in the country. I opened the door and got inside, slamming the door shut and locking it. Doc had just approached the car. He knocked on the window, I could hear him telling me to get out. I rolled the window down just enough to talk and he said “You can’t get out, I’m right behind you.”

“Watch me.”

I put my keys in the ignition and started the car, a minivan. I put it in gear, turned left and drove over my lawn to get around his car. I sped out of the laneway onto the road. In the rear view, I could see him get into his car. Oh God, is he going to follow me? I thought. I got my answer a moment later when I saw him turn onto the road in my direction. Shit. What should I do? I couldn’t drive much faster on this country road without risking an accident. I looked at my gas gauge. Just under half a tank. Doc had filled up in town before we came out here, so he had more gas than I did. He was gaining ground on me. Well, if you can’t outrun someone, outsmart them.

I turned onto a dirt road. Luckily, I knew these roads like the back of my hand. Doc didn’t. At the next intersection, I turned right. I could see him in the distance behind me. Hopefully, I’d come to the next crossroad before he turned onto this one. Problem was, out here in the country, intersections were farther apart. I knew where there was a hill. If I could get up it before he got too close, I might be able to turn onto another road and he wouldn’t be able to see which way I went.

I coughed a few times. Great, now I have to slow down so I don’t risk driving off the road hacking my brains out. I reached in my purse and found a cough drop. It helped for a bit. It seemed like as soon as I came to an intersection, I’d see Doc turn off the last one. He was still quite a ways behind me, but gaining a bit of ground. A couple more turns and I should be near that hill I was hoping to lose him on. This cat and mouse game had been going on for about 15 or 20 minutes now. I didn’t dare let him catch me, he was going to be furious. I thought of the spanking that likely awaited me if I gave in or lost the chase and I shuddered.

I was almost to the hill when I coughed again. I was feeling like crap and going on adrenaline. Another cough. And another. My chest felt like someone was sitting on it, and I could hear the wheezes when I managed to take a breath. Soon I was in a full coughing fit and there was no choice but to pull over. Being a dirt road, traffic was very minimal, I hadn’t seen a car other than Doc’s the whole time. I was hoping the coughing fit would end and I could get back on my way before he caught up to me, but no such luck. He pulled over behind me and approached my door, which was locked with the window up.

Doc knocked on the window. He could see me coughing up a storm. I rolled the window down a bit. “Open the door, Meredith.” I shook my head no. “Come on, Meredith, I see you are in distress.”

“No.” I managed to get out.

He walked back to his car, got something out of the trunk and came back with his medical bag and a bag resembling a gym bag but fancier. “Meredith, please open the door, let me help you.” By this time, I was really starting to wheeze, though the coughing fit had ended. I knew I had to let him in.

I unlocked the door and Doc opened it. He reached around me in front and undid my seat belt. Then he got his stethoscope and told me to lean forward. He lifted my top and listened to my lungs. When he was done, he said “You are worse than last night, I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“No”, I said.

“Yes.”

“No." I reached to put the car in gear, intending to drive away, slowly so I wouldn’t hurt him, but to get it across to him that I was not going to the hospital and I’d drive away if I had to. He reached through the steering wheel, turned the car off and took the key out of the ignition. He put my keys into his pocket.

“Not funny, Doc”, I said between wheezes. “Give me my keys back.”

“No, hon. You don’t get them back until you are all better.”

“I am not going to the hospital.”

“Damn, you are stubborn, you know that?

“I don’t think anyone has ever told me that before, Doc.”

Doc shook his head. “All right, if you flatly refuse to go, here’s the deal. I am going to give you a breathing treatment now using this portable nebulizer. Then we are going back to my place - don’t shake your head at me, Missy - and you are going to stay there until I say you can go home, probably at least a week. Once there, you will let me do what I need to do for you medically and you will do as I say. Understand?”

“Doc…”

“Don’t ‘Doc’ me. There is no negotiating here. You either agree or I call an ambulance and I put you in as an involuntary patient. If you weren‘t so sick, I‘d throw a spanking in there, too.”

“You can’t …. do…that....that’s for ….. people ….. who are …a danger….to…themselves.” I said through the wheezes.

“Technically, you are a danger to yourself.”

“That isn’t….what….the law….was….made for.”

“Tough. None of the hospital staff will fight it. If you tried going to court, you’d be recovered by the time it got anywhere near a judge.” His voice softened. “Meredith, can you not see that I care about you and want to help you?”

I thought of the heartfelt note he had wrote to me and how nervous he was while I read it. “Ok…Doc.” I said. I could feel a tear making it’s way down my cheek. Doc wiped it away with his hand. “Sorry Doc ….. I ….know….I’m …an….awful…..patient.”

“Hon, just trust me, ok? I know what is best medically.” I nodded.

He took his bags around to the passenger side and I unlocked the door for him. “I figured I’d do you no good if I get hit by a car while I’m tending to you”, he said.

I started to laugh, but was caught short by a coughing fit. Doc had the nebulizer set up by the time it stopped and he put the mask over my face. “Just breathe normally, hon”, he said. “it will take about 10 minutes.” He took my right hand in his and held it while we waited for the breathing treatment to finish.

“I should take advantage of the fact that you can’t talk.” I had to hold back a laugh, I knew if I didn’t hold it back, I’d get into another coughing fit. So I rolled my eyes instead. He laughed. “Seriously, hon. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. I only have your best interest in mind. I care about you more than you know. I will let you have your way about the hospital as long as you do as I say and let me take you if you get worse.” I nodded my agreement.

When the nebulizer was done, Doc took the mask off. I was breathing a lot better.

“Thanks, Doc.” I said.

“You are welcome. I’ll pack this up and we’ll get going.”

“Can I have my keys, Doc? I’m fine to drive.”

“No. Remember the deal?”

“I didn’t make any deal, Doc. You dictated one. Don’t make me reach in your pocket to get them.”

He sighed. “Meredith, please just once, will you do as I say?”

“Haven’t you asked that before, Doc?”

“And did you do as I say?”

“Yes, Doc. I got in the cold tub, remember? And froze my hiney off.”

“It was a cool tub, not cold. And that was two weeks ago, so it doesn’t count. Come on, hon, you are in no shape to drive.” He gently pushed a stray lock of hair out of my face. I looked at him and could see the worry in his face. He looked a few years older.

I sighed. “Ok, Doc. I will go back to your place. But I need to stop and see how Copper is doing.”

“If you behave, we can stay until after lunch. But I want to be back in the city before supper. I don’t like being so far from the hospital with you in such bad shape.”

“Thank you, Doc. Hey, how am I going to get my car home?”

“I’ll bring Karen out to get it before we go back to my place. Let me put this stuff back in my trunk, then I‘ll come get you.”

“I can walk to your car by myself.”

“You wait for me. That’s an order.” I sighed. He put his stuff in the trunk then came around to my door. I grabbed my purse and locked the doors before getting out. He insisted on taking my arm as he walked me to his car and opened the passenger door for me. He buckled me up, then closed the door. “Can you direct me out of here?” he asked when he got in on his side.

“Yes, I know these roads. You’re lucky I got in that coughing fit, I’d have lost you if I hadn’t.”

“I figured you would know your way around. What got into you, hon?”

“I don’t know, Doc. I couldn’t take being ordered into the house on my own property.”

“Meredith, I feel like I’m repeating myself too much, but I only have your best interest at heart.”

“I know, Doc, but how many patients do you have that you hover over like this, besides me?”

“None.”

“So why me?”

He was silent for a couple minutes. “Because I care about you, Meredith. A lot. I shouldn’t say this, but more than any of my other patients.”

I didn’t know what to say. “Doc, I’m not an easy person to care for.”

“Really? I’m glad you told me because I didn’t know.”

“Haha, Doc.”

He smiled at me. “Hon, you exasperate me at times. But I’m not giving up on you. The other night, you said that you were amazed I hadn’t washed my hands of you.” I nodded. “I haven’t because I feel you are worth hanging in for. I’m not giving up on you, Meredith.”

“You sure about that, Doc?”

“Very sure. You are obstinate, headstrong, stubborn, sarcastic and self destructive at times, but I’m not going anywhere. I just ask one thing of you - for now - besides that you do what I say regarding your health situation.”

“What’s that, Doc.?”

“Please don’t run away from me ever again. Next time, talk it out with me instead of running, ok?”

“Doc, talking wouldn’t have helped. You were just as stubborn as me about wanting me to go in the house.”

“You have a point, hon. I promise I will try to find a compromise next time. I could have let you have more time with your horse. Ten minutes isn’t very long.”

“Thank you, Doc.” I reached over and put my hand on his leg. He took one hand off the steering wheel and squeezed mine.

Before long, we were turning into my laneway. Karen came running out of the barn. “What the hell happened with you two?” she asked. “I heard you fighting, then heard two cars peel rubber out there.” She looked toward the road. “When I went out to see what was going on, both of your cars were gone. Now, you are back in just one car. Where‘s yours?”

I told her where mine was. “Come on, I want to see Copper. How is he?”

“He’s getting better, he took another dump.”

“Excellent!” My face lit up. “I’d do a happy dance, but it would send me into a coughing fit.” Doc looked at me like I was out of my mind. “Nothing like celebrating a horse taking a crap, eh?” I asked. He just shook his head as if to say “You’re crazy, girl.”

“You two go in the barn, I’m going to get my things into the house and set up the bedroom on the ground floor for you, Meredith. When you come in, I want you to have another breathing treatment.”

“Breathing treatment?” Karen asked.

“I’ll tell you in the barn”, I said as I started walking.

“Karen, can you please help her walk? She’s not doing good”, Doc asked her.

“Sure thing, Dr Richards.”

I told Karen what had happened while I gave Copper some loving. “Meredith, you have to do what he says.”

“Don’t you start in on me, too!”

“I care about you, and Dr Richards cares, too. He cares about you so much, but you don’t see it.”

“Did he tell you that?”

“Yes. When I talked to him on Friday - he called me from work.”

“He told me that he had called you, but I thought he just gave you a report on my health.’

“He told me how frustrated he is that you won’t do what he says. He is so very worried about you. And yes, he cares about you. More than any other patient. He didn’t directly say that, but he didn’t have to.”

“He told me today that he cares about me more than any other patient.”

“He really wants to help you and he feels you aren’t letting him.”

I sighed. “I’ve been independent my whole adult life, Karen. It’s hard to let someone tell me what to do.”

“I get it, Meredith. But maybe it’s time to let someone take care of you. At least when you are sick. Look what happened today. You got all pissed off and took off and ended up needing a nebulizer treatment. Let him help. He …. never mind.”

“Never mind what? He what?”

“Forget it.”

“Tell me, Karen. What were you going to say?”

“Just that he cares about you so much.”

I wasn’t able to get anything else out of her but I felt she was holding something back. We talked some more about this and that, and after a while, Doc came out to get me. I was ready to go in for a nap so I didn’t give him a hard time. I let him help me get up to the house and I went to the main floor bedroom after a pit-stop at the bathroom. Doc was sitting on the bed. I saw a thermometer, gloves and a tube of lubricant on the nightstand. He had gotten a nightshirt from my dresser drawer. “Let’s get your clothes off, hon.”

I sat down on the bed and let him help me take my clothes off and get my nightshirt on. Then I got into bed and without him asking, I rolled over onto my left side. I knew what was coming. While we waited for the thermometer to register, Doc took the IV stand around to the other side of the bed and flushed my port before hooking up the bag of fluids.

When he took the thermometer out, it read 39.2. I groaned. It was up again. Doc listened to my lungs and said there was no change from earlier. “I’m going to give you another nebulizer treatment”, he said.

“Doc, why am I getting worse?” I asked. “I’ve been on IV antibiotics. Is it my fault for taking off?”

“No, hon. That isn’t what caused it. You probably were having trouble before, you were just so focused on your horse, you ignored it, without realizing it. Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought you out here today, but I thought you needed to see Copper.”

“Doc, you did the right thing. You are right - I had to see him.”

“Hon, do you mind if I have a shower after you go to sleep?”

“Not at all, Doc. But didn't you have one before we came out here?”

“Yes, but I've been in your barn.”

“You didn't do anything in there to get dirty, Doc.”

He looked uncomfortable. “I'm ...uh.... a bit sweaty. It's hot out today.”

He wants to shower because he was in the barn, even though he didn't get dirty? I thought. He's even more picky about cleanliness than I had thought he was. “Like I said, you're welcome to shower. There's a bigger bathroom upstairs, and towels and washcloths in a cupboard up there.”

“It's okay, I'll shower down here, in case you wake up and need me.”

“You'll find what you need in the linen closet – the same one you got a blanket and pillow from a few weeks ago. Help yourself to anything you want, including in the kitchen.” I closed my eyes. Doc sat with me, rubbing my leg. When the nebulizer was done, he took it off and I fell asleep. I woke up a few hours later and got up and went to the bathroom. When I came out, I went looking for Doc and found him in my TV room reading a magazine. “Don’t you ever watch TV, Doc?” I sat down on the sofa. Doc was in my easy chair. He had changed clothes.

“Sometimes”, he replied. “But not a lot. How are you feeling, hon?”

“Like crap”, I said.

“You need to eat something. How about some toast?”

“Just one slice, please.”

A few minutes later, the doc brought my toast and a glass of milk to me. I ate half of it, and put the plate on the coffee table.

“You need to eat it all, hon”, Doc said. “Please.”

I decided to not argue about it and picked the plate back up. I’d given Doc enough trouble for the day, so I finished the toast, even though I didn’t want to.

“Hon, I called my best friend who is a pulmonologist and told him about you. He said you should be on a stronger antibiotic and should have a nebulizer treatment of a different medication. Something that is stronger than what I gave you. He wants to look at you, so I need to take you to the hospital.”

I shook my head. “No hospital.”

“It’s only so he can check you over. He needs to do that before he can prescribe the medications. He’s not going to admit you.”

“Okay”, I agreed.

“We need to get going. Get dressed and I’ll let you go out to the barn to see Copper before we go.”

“Doc, I need a shower. I haven’t had one since last night and I feel yucky.”

“I don’t think you can stand up long enough to bathe, hon.”

“I have a shower seat from when I broke my leg.”

“Where is it? I’ll get it for you.”

“It’s on the back porch.”

Doc got the shower seat for me, and helped me get in. I could tell he had cleaned the tub after his shower. He left while I bathed. Afterwards, I got dressed and packed a bag to take with me. I went to the barn to see my horse while he put everything in the car. My other horses were outside, and were up by the barn so I was able to see them before we left. They had been down at the far end of the pasture when we'd arrived. Jack neighed with delight when he saw Doc - he remembered him and the ear scratches! I think Doc was really pleased with that. He went over to the fence and gave Jack some more scratches before we got on our way.

In the car, Doc reached into the glove box and got out a bottle of hand sanitizer. He put some on his hands before doing up his seat belt and starting the vehicle. I thought it odd, but didn't say a word. If he had a quirk about being extra clean, so be it. We all have our idiosyncrasies. And it was certainly better than being a slob.

Back in town, he drove straight to the hospital, parking outside the emergency entrance. “You stay here and I will get a wheelchair for you, hon.” He had called his friend, Dr Curtis Wilcox, and he met us in the ER. Doc made the introductions and Dr Wilcox directed us to a private room. Doc wheeled me in and helped me get on the bed. Dr Wilcox asked me some questions and took my temperature with a digital oral thermometer. Doc was looking at me like he was scared I was going to say something about him taking it rectally. I winked at him when his friend wasn’t looking.

“38.7”, Dr Wilcox said when it beeped and he took it out of my mouth. He listened to my lungs, taking almost as long as Doc did. He also listened to my heart.

“Meredith, you are a very sick lady”, he said as he wrapped his stethoscope around his neck. “You really should be in hospital.”

I started to protest. “Relax, Julian told me you won’t agree to be admitted. I do want to get an xray, though.” He made a phone call to arrange for it. “They are not busy so they can take you right away.” He went and got me a hospital gown to put on for the radiograph.

Doc wheeled me down and they took me in as soon as we got there. A few minutes later we were on our way back to the ER. It didn’t take long for Dr Wilcox to get the results. Doc looked at them on the computer. “It’s worse than the one you had on Thursday”, he said to me.

“Do I get a booby prize?” I asked sarcastically.

“Is she always like this?” Dr Wilcox asked.

“Worse”, Doc replied. “This is nothing. She’s subdued right now because she feels so bad.”

Dr Wilcox ordered the medications and Doc went down to the hospital pharmacy to get them. “You are a lucky lady”, he said when Doc left the room. “He cares about you a lot. More than I’ve seen him care about anyone. Ever.”

“He needs a girlfriend to care about.”

“I agree, but he has a lot of baggage that would scare many women off.”

“He says he has his eye on someone but is afraid to ask her out. I've been trying to get him to take the chance and do it.”

“I hope she is someone worthy of him. Despite his baggage, Julian is a great person.”

“I hope so, too. I don't know who she is, but if he ever gets up the courage to ask her out, she better say yes. Maybe you can talk him into it, since you're his best friend.”

“I will certainly try, Meredith. I've tried to play matchmaker before, but he told me in no uncertain terms that if I do it again, I will lose his friendship.”

“Why?”

“He hasn't been interested in getting involved with anyone – it's because of his baggage. If he's interested in someone now, that's progress. She needs to be very understanding of his issues, though. I can't tell you what they are, it's not my place to.”

“I wouldn't expect you to, Dr Wilcox. If he wants me to know, he will tell me himself. And if Ms Hottie is worthy of him, she will understand about his baggage.”

“Ms Hottie?”

“Oh, that's the name I gave her.” He laughed.

Doc was soon back and we were on our way to his place. Once there, I headed straight for the bedroom. I was so tired and worn out. Doc brought the nebulizer and IV pole in and assembled the latter. He had unhooked me for the trip back to town. He put the new meds into the machine and put the mask on my face. Then he hooked up the IV to the fluids bag - it wasn’t time for the antibiotic bag yet. I fell asleep before the treatment was done. I don’t even remember Doc taking the mask off.

A couple hours later, I woke up and went to the bathroom. When I was done, I found Doc in the kitchen. “I made a tuna casserole for supper”, he said. “No arguing, you have to eat some.”

I sat down and he checked my IV to make sure there were no kinks in the tubing. “Do you want me to dish it out for you, hon?”

“Yes, please. Thanks.”

It was really good. Doc is such a good cook. “Doc, you’d make a great partner for Ms Hottie. Every woman wants a man who can cook and who cleans and picks up after himself.”

“Even you, Meredith?”

“Even me, what?”

“Do you want a man who can cook and who cleans and picks up after himself?”

“Of course I do. Like I said, every woman does, or should I say, every straight woman does.”

Doc got a weird look on his face. I couldn’t read it. “Why don’t you date, Meredith? Or do you?”

I was totally taken off guard. “Well, I have dated a bit since my husband died six years ago. But I found that country boys are too bossy - they try to tell me how to run my farm and I don’t take well to that.”

“Now, why am I not surprised you wouldn’t take well to that?”

“Haha, Doc.”

“Maybe you should date a city guy.”

“He’d have to accept that I am a country girl and will never, ever move to a city. If things worked out, he’d have to move out to the farm. Most city guys won’t do that. He’d also have to accept my animals and my devotion to them. Not to mention, he‘d have to put up with my personality - my stubbornness and such.”

“If he loved you, he would do that.”

“Not many city boys would put up with me.”

“The right one will. He will love you for who you are and won’t want to change you. Except maybe your obstinateness about getting medical treatment when you are sick - he would want to change that because he cares about you and wants you to be healthy.”

“Where do I find such a guy, Doc?”

Doc’s face turned pink. Is he blushing? I thought. “You never know, Meredith - he could be right under your nose. Do you want anything else, hon?”

“I’d love a coffee. I haven’t had one since Friday.”

He got up and put a pot on. While we waited, he cleared the table and washed the dishes. When the coffee was done, he poured a cup for each of us and we went to the living room to drink it. The blanket and pillow I had used the other night were still on the sofa, the former had been folded up and placed under the pillow. Doc unfolded it for me. “You can put your feet up and get comfortable if you want, dear.”

I couldn’t imagine Doc ever sitting with his feet on the sofa. “Are you sure, Doc? I’m sure you never sit like that.”

“Go ahead, hon. You had your feet on it when you were laying down on it.”

“Good point, Doc.” I leaned against the arm of the sofa and put my feet up. Doc put the blanket over me and then hooked up the antibiotic bag to my IV before sitting down in the chair.

We chatted while we drank our coffee. He asked me how I’d got into rescuing horses. I told him that my late husband had been a very successful businessman and we hadn’t had kids, so I was the only heir. I put the money into investments and used the investment income to live on and support the horses. I had worked as a ward clerk at the hospital for a few years after Chris died. He had not wanted me to work while he was alive. The job helped me take my mind off things, and I loved it, but I had to choose between the horses and it due to my arthritis. My family doctor hounded me for a long time and I finally caved in.

“Why am I not surprised that it took a long time for him to get you to choose?”

“I’d be surprised if you weren’t not surprised, Doc. Hey, how did you come to be here, in a very small city? You seem like a big city type of person.”

A troubled look came over his face. After a moment, he said “I couldn’t find a job in the city. They were desperate for another ob/gyn here and the city was offering financial help to set up a clinic, so I came for an interview and they accepted me. I’ve grown to like it here and intend to stay in the area.”

I was finished my coffee and ready to go to bed. Doc took the finished bag off my IV, then he took our mugs to the kitchen and I went to the bathroom. When I was done, I headed for the bedroom. Doc had turned off all the lights except the lamp in the bedroom. “Do you need to take my temp, Doc?”

“I think I should.”

While we waited for the thermometer to register, he listened to my lungs and said they sounded a wee bit better but not by much. My temp was 39.1, a little bit lower but Doc said it was so close to the last time that it was practically the same. He sat with me as I fell asleep. I woke up in the middle of the night and saw him in the chair that was by the window. He had brought it over by the bed and was sitting in it with the blanket from the living room over him. I fell back asleep.