Beloved Physician Read Free Page A

beautiful woman’ bit.”
    Dane clipped her playfully on the chin. “Can I help it if those husbands are fooled?”
    Laughing together, they entered the office and found Nadine Wahl at her desk, doing some paperwork. She looked up and smiled. “Well, if it isn’t the newlyweds! Welcome home, boss and boss’s wife!”
    They both greeted her warmly. She said she hoped they had a wonderful honeymoon and told them that Dr. Fraser was with a patient in the examining room at the moment. He should be finished in a few minutes.
    While they were talking about Tharyn taking over Nadine’s job, Dr. Fraser came out of the examining room with his patient, a middle-aged man. Dr. Fraser introduced the man to Dr. Dane and Tharyn. The man shook hands with Dr. Dane and told him that Dr. Fraser was just telling him a lot about the new doctor. He said he was glad to meet Dr. Logan and his wife, then went on his way.
    As Dr. Dane was thanking Dr. Fraser for filling in for him, a wagon thundered to a halt outside. A young man in his early twenties hopped down from the driver’s seat and dashed toward the door. A second man on his knees in the wagon bed bent overwhat would seem to be another person. A sign on the side of the wagon read:
HOLTON COAL MINE—CENTRAL CITY, COLORADO
.
    “Something’s happened at the mine!” exclaimed the older physician and rushed to the open door as the young man bounded onto the boardwalk, his face coated with coal dust and his eyes wide.
    As he approached the older doctor, he said, “Dr. Fraser! Ben Frye fell down one of the mine shafts! He’s hurt bad!”
    Dr. Dane was quickly at Fraser’s side, and the elderly doctor said, “Greg, this is Dr. Dane Logan. He owns the practice now. Dr. Logan, this is Greg Holton, the son of Kirby Holton, who owns the mine. Ben Frye is the mines foreman.”
    “Glad to meet you, Greg,” said Dr. Dane. “Let’s see about Mr. Frye.” As he spoke, he rushed out the door to the wagon with young Holton on his heels. Dr. Fraser followed as hastily as he could.
    The two women looked on from the open office door as Dr. Dane bounded over the tailgate, told the kneeling man who he was, and began examining the mine foreman, a man in his midfifties.
    At the side of the wagon, Greg Holton said, “Dr. Logan, this man next to Ben is Art Berman, the assistant foreman.”
    Dr. Dane looked up briefly, nodded at Berman, then went back to his examination.
    Greg said, “Art, I’m gonna run home and tell Dad about Ben’s fall. He will want to come and see him.”
    “Sure,” said Art. “He’d want to know as soon as possible about this.”
    Greg hurried away.
    After looking a moaning Ben Frye over and asking him questions about his pain, Dr. Dane said, “Mr. Berman, we have a stretcher in the office. I’ll get it, and I’ll need you to help me carry him inside.”
    Berman nodded. “Certainly, Doctor.”
    Just as Dr. Dane hopped out of the wagon bed, Nadine Wahl came out the door, carrying the stretcher. Dr. Dane thanked her, took it, and as Greg Holton opened the tailgate, he laid the stretcher at the rear of the wagon bed.
    Tharyn told Nadine she would help her husband with the injured mine foreman, and asked if she could get an apron. Nadine guided her to the examining room behind the office and soon had her clad in a starched full-length apron with shoulder straps, which she wore over her dress.
    A few minutes later, while Dr. Dane and Art Berman were carrying the stretcher bearing the mine foreman into the examining room, Tharyn and Nadine were finishing their task of placing a clean sheet on the nearest examination table.
    Dr. Fraser came in behind the two men carrying the stretcher. When they laid the stretcher on the table, they carefully lifted Ben Frye enough for the elderly physician to slip the stretcher out from under him. Dr. Dane caught sight of Tharyn wheeling a medicine cart up beside the table.
    Nadine commented that since Tharyn was there to help, she would go