“I suppose I am.” Tom was from the hills of Tennessee and spoke a colorful language they all enjoyed and found refreshing. One would have to look deep to find an ounce of pretense in that man.
“Busy lately with all the homeless trying to keep from the sweltering heat, but I’ll put him up in the closet room. It’ll be quieter there for him to sift through his files of recollection.”
“Thank you so much. John will be there in a couple of hours.”
“Are you still on for the Friday night special?”
“You bet! Ironed my most festive full-bib apron for the occasion. Be there at four-o’clock sharp,” Pam said.
“Can always count on willing volunteers in this town. Donations of five piping hot already spiced and sliced prime roasts are arriving at four-thirty, fluffy mountains of mashed potatoes laced with sour cream, smooth and yummy beef gravy, green beans and two pails of coleslaw.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be there to help dish it out and clean up afterward,” Pam said.
“Hope your man is well on his way to recovery by then.”
“He’s not my man, Tom. He’s my patient.”
“Oh, did I say he was yours? Guess that was wishful thinking on my part.” Tom laughed loud and hearty. Pam pushed the receiver back inches from her ear. “I’ll be watching for him. See you on Friday.”
Tom, like his wife, Denise, always tried to set her up. In their opinion, it was unheard of to be crowding thirty and still single. Pam’s chosen career had involved many years of commitment to school and training, but now established as Dr. Pamela Legend, with all the glaring initials behind her name, the future loomed before her. Her love life had suffered in the climb to success. Men simmered on the back burner, and the last few years in Cedar springs she’d spent unwinding, surveying the unfertile fields of available men. She found them sadly lacking. It appeared lucky ladies had taken all the decent ones while she’d been busy preparing to live the good life.
Earlier, John Doe expressed an eagerness to leave the hospital. Now the released patient hung back, uncertain and edgy.
Pam put down the pen and moved to the front side of the nurse’s station. She recalled his request to call him by a first name, not his legally, but the only one he had at present.
“John, you will like Tom. He is a laid-back character, and lots of fun. He’s put you in a back corner room. They use the space to stack boxes. There’s a cot in there, and you will have privacy from the noisy comings and goings of homeless taking refuge in the main sleeping quarters. It’s air-conditioned too, and will allow you the freedom to be alone and think your way through your situation.”
“I appreciate you giving me a good word, Doctor Legend.”
Pam’s eyebrows shot upward. They needed to end this episode on a teasing note. “Yes, I did, even though I don’t know for sure where you stand on Santa’s list.”
He laughed, and her heart unexpectedly leaped at the sound. “I will not disappoint you, Doc. But, should I find any evil lurking deep within, I will restrain the ogre and run far from your fair town and generous people.”
“Always the clown – to the bitter end,” Pam said.
“So, this is the end? Of you and me, I mean?” John asked.
“Unless you have a relapse or find yourself in a ditch again in need of medical services, I suppose it is.”
The shadow crossed his face, and she realized he’d bonded with her as his doctor during his initial crisis and was nervous about stepping beyond the protective walls they’d constructed over the past day.
“No! That’s not true at all. I will see you at the shelter on Friday afternoon. My friend, Denise, and I have volunteered to help with the Christmas in July supper event.”
“Why ever do you celebrate a winter vacation in the summer?” John asked.
Pam grinned. “It may be hard for an outsider to understand, but this town is hyper Christmas and could not go over than six months without dragging through the second round of festivities. Two in one year is not too much to ask for, is it?”
“So, you are one of those obsessed with the spirit of Christmas?”
“I certainly am! But it is only one of the wonderful things that attracted me to this particular piece of real estate.”
“Can we have coffee sometime, so you can fill me in on the other things you find attractive in Cedar Springs?”
“You waste no time, Mr. Doe. Remember, I am your emergency physician.”
“Does that make you untouchable?”
Pam realized how snobbish the remark had sounded. “No, that’s not what I meant.” She turned a rosy pink. Blushing had never been her style. Attempting to back-peddle, she said, “Statistics claim that relationships started in a crisis seldom last.” That addition backfired! She witnessed a slow smile spread across his face. Pam shifted her eyes from his penetrating gaze, just in time to see Janet standing close by drumming her fingers impatiently.
“I’m afraid I need to get back to work. Cedar Springs is a small community, and most likely we will meet again soon enough.” She handed him a prescription and a business card with the address of the town shelter on it. “Best of luck to you, John.”
Before he walked through the door, he glanced back and waved the card in the air, his face beaming. He mouthed the words, “See you Friday,” and then was gone.
What was today? Only Wednesday. She rebuked herself for actually looking forward to seeing him again – a mysterious John Doe character that could, for all
