Page 25 of Meet Me on Greenwood

"Did you hear me?" Lettie asked again. "She said she’s a doctor and lives in Maple Ridge."

"Memory lapses are to be expected," Perry confirmed. "She did seem confused."

"Only when we mentioned the year. Actually, she looked horrified by it," I said.

"Do you think it could be true?" Lettie asked. "That she is a doctor?"

"There are medical schools more accepting in the North. There’s even a medical college in Boston that took on their first woman," I said.

"First White woman," Perry noted. "Honestly, it’s a wonder they let me attend."

I smiled. "Like they could keep someone like you out. I bet you ran circles around them in Little Rock."

"It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure." He finished the bourbon. "I could reach out to my contacts in New England and see they can find her family?"

"What about that device that she had," I began. "What do you think it could be?"

He shrugged. "Who knows? I never pretend to understand women." Perry paused, putting his hat back on. "Is she going to be staying with you?"

Lettie’s eyes bore into me, and I shifted my feet. She’d asked me the same question more than once. "I don’t see another option. Not until her folks are found."

Perry scanned the room again. "Do you think it is wise for her to stay here with an unmarried man? People will talk, and that probably wouldn’t please your fiancé."

I shrugged. "Are you suggesting I put her up in a boarding house, alone, when she’s struggling to remember the date?"

He paused, thinking on it. "I have church tonight. Let me ask around and see if there’s a family willing to take her in."

"I’d appreciate that," I said finally. "Thank you for coming all the way out here."

"It is always a pleasure to see how renovations are coming along, though, they’ve slowed a bit, eh?" he said, noting the unfinished floors and makeshift kitchen.

"I’ve been focusing on the surrounding grounds," I said with practiced ease. "Lots of the outbuildings have started to collapse."

He nodded. "Well, I hope you find the time to work on this place you call a cottage," he said sarcastically.

"You forgot your bourbon," I said handing him the rest of the bottle. "To show my appreciation."

He took it, admiring the bottle. "It’s too much. I couldn’t."

"I have plenty more, trust me."

Perry’s face lit up. "Don’t mind if I do," he said whistling on his way out.

I stood around for a bit longer checking in on Gema. She’d slept through the whole day, and now it was time for me to leave. I’d decided it was best if I went to sleep at my practice overnight, and Lettie, who had a small dwelling on my property, had agreed to stay on the couch.

I stood in the doorway longer than I needed to. Gema had turned onto her side in her sleep, her injured arm resting carefully on top of the blanket. The late afternoon light had shifted to the amber of early evening, and it caught the side of her face in a way that made her look soft and uninhibited. Lettie appeared beside me with a quietness that felt a lot like judgement.

"She ate a little more," she said softly. "And kept it down."

"That's a good sign."

"I'll be right down the hall if she needs anything in the night."

"I know. Thank you Lettie."

She studied me as I watched Gema for a moment longer. "You're going to the practice?"

"Yes."