“Ah. There you are,” she said to the book. “McKenny, Charles. McKenny, David J. McKenny, David P. McKenny, Fred. Where is… Ah! McKenny, Paul, M.D.”
She picked up the telephone and dialed his number, uncertain. She didn’t want him to think that she—
“Hello?”
“Paul? It’s Marion.”
His surprise lasted only a blink, then she heard a crunching on the other end of the line. Was he eatingpotato chips?
“Well, well, well! Good to hear from you, Marion. How are you?”
She decided she couldn’t just leap in with the point of her call. A little small talk first. “I hate to admit it, but I’ve missed you.”
“It’s just not the same anymore, is it?” More crunching.
She scowled. “Are you eating chips?”
“I am.”
She thought that was a little rude. And now she was hungry. With everything that had happened today, had she eaten anything? Trapping the phone between her ear and her shoulder, she opened the kitchen drawer where Sassy had left an emergency supply of candy.
“Don’t put that in there. I don’t eat candy.”
“It’s Smarties, Marion. They make you smart.”
“Are you enjoying the community health centre work?” she asked, popping a couple of Smarties into her mouth.
“It’s fine,” he said noncommittally. “Kind of a solitary activity though, right? Waiting for appointments has never been my thing, and most don’t even show up. I mean, why would they? Do any of them know what a calendar means? Do they wear watches? You were right all along, Marion.” He crunched on a few more chips then paused. “Listen, it’s always nice to talk with you, but what are you really calling for?”
“I need help, and I’m wondering if you’re the right person to speak with.”
“Want to talk about it over lunch tomorrow?”
“Stop it, Paul. I need help right now. Besides, I thought you were dating someone.”
He chuckled. “You’re right. Old habits die hard, I guess.”
“My good friend is going through a lot. Part of it is that her brother’s in Vietnam, and he went missing at the end of January.”
“That’s tough.”
“It is. She’s a terrific girl, and she’s really suffering.” She deliberated over how much to share then went ahead. “Her name’s Sassy. She’s a hippy.”
“You have a hippy friend named Sassy? Well, good for you.”
“I do,” she said, unexpectedly proud of that. “Oh! You saw her! She performed the night you took me out.”
“I remember that. You freaked. So Sassy’s encouraging you to do new things? I like her already.”
“She does. In a way, she’s changed my life. And, uh, she’s actually the reason I called you.” She took a deep breath. “Here’s the thing, Paul. I read that the International Red Cross in Geneva put out a distress call to doctors from neutral nations because of the Tet Offensive.”
“I read that, too.”
“How does one get in touch with the Red Cross?”
“Why would you ask me that? I’m not a surgeon,” he said, sounding confused.
“No, but you know a guy who knows that woman, Claire Culhane, and you know some surgeons, so I thought you might point me in the right direction.” She swallowed. “I… I want to go.”
