Fractured Eden Read Free Page A

it?”
    “Yes, along with all my friends and neighbors.” She sobbed into the tissue.
    Aaron waited as she composed herself. She looked up at him. “I’m sorry. It’s so hard for me to talk about this.”
    Aaron examined her pupils, heart, and lungs, and prescribed a mild sedative. “I hope this helps you, and I pray you find her.”
     
    Just after noon, Aaron dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief and adjusted the thermostat a few degrees cooler until the air conditioner was blasting arctic air. He stood under a vent for several minutes to cool off and then followed the aroma of coffee to the lounge and poured himself a cup. He sat with Stella and Juliana at a small table and studied them while they talked. Stella was a bit overweight; Juliana was slender. They were about the same height: Aaron guessed about five feet seven. Stella had a jolly face, and appeared to be mid-forties and about twenty years or so older than Juliana, who had smooth Hispanic facial features.
    “Did you bring family with you?” Stella said to Aaron.
    “No family, no kids. I divorced a few months ago.”
    “Well, I think you picked a good place to start over.”
    “I hope you’re right. How long have you lived here?”
    “A long time, over twenty years,” Stella said.
    “Only three years for me,” Juliana said.
    Aaron looked at Stella. “You probably know everyone in town.”
    “Oh, yeah. I can help you with medical histories, for sure.” She raised an eyebrow. “You can bet most everybody for miles around knows about the new doctor. I expect many folks will drop by this week just to check you out.”
    “No problem. I’ll get to know everyone sooner or later.”
    Stella shook her head. “Maybe not everyone.”
    Aaron put his cup down. “Why do you say that?”
    “I’m thinking of the Taggetts. Wanda Taggett used to take her husband, Sid, to nearby hospitals every few months. He’d often go by ambulance. She takes care of him in their home when he’s not in the hospital. For the last few months, I don’t think he even gets out of bed much.”
    “I met a Wanda in the diner down the road. Is that her?” Aaron said.
    “That’s her, Wanda Taggett.”
    “What’s wrong with her husband?”
    “I heard it was some kind of neurologic disease. Wanda says no one can figure out exactly what his problem is. I think they recently ran out of money for a lot of medical visits and tests. They don’t come here to the clinic anymore.”
    “Surely she’ll let me examine him at home,” Aaron said.
    “Good luck with that. She hasn’t let any visitors inside that house and Sid hasn’t been back to the hospital since the state tried to remove her husband and son from the home a few months ago. She fought back, and husband and son are still with her in the house.”
    “That’s serious. Someone must’ve complained about her.”
    “We figured the hospital did. I think they were worried she was unfit as a caregiver.”
    “She seemed a reasonable person when I talked with her in the diner.”
    “Away from her home, she can be as normal as you or me.”
    Aaron smiled. “You don’t know me that well yet.”
    Stella laughed. “That’s all we need. Another strange person in this town.”
     
    Late afternoon, as Aaron approached a patient room, Stella walked up to him and whispered in his ear. “He’s got a loud voice, so I like to put him away from other patients. You know, for privacy reasons.”
    Aaron nodded and entered the room. A large man in a cowboy shirt and boots stood and extended a thick, weather-beaten hand. “I’m Grant Belkin. Welcome to our town.”
    “Glad to be here,” Aaron said. I finally meet a real cowboy .
    “I need my blood pressure medicine refilled, and I wanted to meet you. I run the ranch behind your house.” His words echoed around the room.
    “So those are your cattle. They’re a fine looking bunch.”
    “Sometimes they make a lot of noise. I hope they don’t bother you.”
    Aaron smiled.