For a minute, there was total silence as Eric stood by to replace the tube at the first sign of trouble.
Then Bernard cleared his throat.
'Anyone got a cigar?' he croaked.
One by one, those Charity inmates needing the most vital care were brought into Moab. The rest were transferred to other facilities.
Eric worked through the night alongside the hospital staff, and other vestiges of malnutrition Shortly after dawn the next left Maggie Nelson with her husband at the motel where she was staying they walked along the large town.
To the south, the sun day sparkled off the rich red clay of 'This place is so beautiful,' she said. 'And the hospital seems very good.'
'For a place this size, it is,' Eric said.
Laura locked her arm in his.
'Think you'd ever consider working here?' she asked.
'I think my lowest gear may still be about ten times higher than the highest one I'd ever need here,'
'Well, maybe that's just what you need.'
He held her close.
'Maybe. I'll tell you what: If we ever get tired of Boston and white Memorial, I'll think about it.'
'Good. Because I understand real estate around Boston is through the roof, and here there's a whole town for sale, just a little ways down the road.'
