“Why haven’t the machines been fixed?” Liam asked loudly.
“Costs too much, apparently,” Jill said with a shrug. “At first the administrators gave us a lot of excuses for why they weren’t being repaired, but after a while it became clear those repairs would never be done. It’ll save money if they can shut down the unit.”
“What are people supposed to do if there isn’t a dialysis unit in town?” someone shouted from another table.
“Some people can do home dialysis,” Jill said. “But that’s not the right choice for everyone. If you need to go to a clinic, you’ll have to go to Bozeman.”
“That’s much too far,” Tory heard a woman at a nearby table say.
“I’ll say,” Leslie called out.
“You’re right,” Liam said loudly. “That is much too far. I think Chance Creek deserves a working dialysis unit, but don’t listen to me. Listen to someone who needs it. Mrs. Dailey, you want to come up here and talk to us?”
“I don’t think I can get on that chair.”
Tory recognized Mrs. Dailey. She’d taught English at Chance Creek High for years. She had aged but looked relatively spry for an older woman. She came to stand by Liam as Jill got down.
“My name is Elizabeth Dailey, and I taught English to many of you. I’ve had trouble with my kidneys for quite some time. The dialysis unit is my lifeline.”
“Mrs. Dailey’s there all the time,” Leslie said knowingly. “When you two save the dialysis unit, you’ll be doing her a big favor,” she told Mary and Enid.
“Some of you also probably know Mrs. Dailey from all the volunteering she does in this town,” Jill spoke up. “You’re very active in literacy, aren’t you?”
Mrs. Dailey nodded. “I’ve taught many adults to read as well as students. I volunteer at the Prairie Garden, too. Watch my grandchildren two days a week, and I play the church organ for the Sunday service.”
“In other words,” Liam said, “you’re a very active member of our community. What will you do if the dialysis unit shuts down?”
“I’ll have to move to Bozeman, like you said,” Mrs. Dailey answered. “I’ll miss my friends a lot if I have to do that. I’ll miss my family, too.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Leslie said. “I’d sure hate to move away from my family—and my friends, now that they’ve finally come home.”
Tory was having a hard time keeping a straight face while her mother and Mary squirmed in their seats trying to stem their impatience at Leslie’s lecture.
“I don’t think that’s right, do you?” Jill said to the crowd at large. “There’s something more Mrs. Dailey hasn’t told you. When she fell ill and began to get treatments, she realized that some people in town couldn’t afford all their medical bills. She donates regularly to our charity fund. She’s a shining example of how Chance Creek takes care of its own, no matter how hard times get.”
“Not if you’re a Cooper,” Enid said just loud enough for everyone at their table to hear. “Especially if there’s a Turner around to make sure of it.”
“We Turners do more than our share to help,” Mary said.
“And hinder,” Enid told her. “And meddle and interfere.”
Tory felt a pang. Even though her mother was mostly trying to get Mary’s goat, what she was saying was true. The Coopers had always existed just outside that bubble of good feeling, and like the rest of her family, she’d often been cynical about the town’s “community spirit.” She had to admit that her family never used to make much effort to take care of their community.
That had begun to change. Even if this stupid Founder’s Prize was the motive behind their good deeds, no one could deny that the Coopers could make a difference these days—when they felt like it.
“We need to save the dialysis unit,” a man called out. “If it goes, who knows what other services the hospital will shut down next.”
“That’s a good point,” Liam said. “Chance Creek needs a hospital if it’s going to thrive, and I don’t know about you, but I want this town to stick around for a good long time.”
There was more applause.
Olivia leaned close to Tory. “How do we make this as much our project as Liam’s?” she asked.
“I don’t know. He hasn’t said what he’s planning yet,” Tory murmured back. She expected he’d tell everyone soon.
But Liam seemed to be unsure what to do next. He shook Mrs. Dailey’s hand and spoke to her a moment, helping her to a seat at a table nearby. In the meantime, people began to talk among themselves, the buzz in the restaurant getting louder. She got the same uncomfortable feeling she’d had when she found him in the storage shed with the inspectors.
Liam had a fundraising idea, didn’t he?
“Why isn’t he getting to it?” Enid asked loudly.
“He’s got it under control,” Mary said, but she didn’t look too sure.
Maybe Liam needed a little prodding. Forgetting she was supposed to be finding a way for her own family to win the Founder’s Prize, Tory called out, “How are we going to raise the money?”
Mary glared at her. Enid poked an elbow in her ribs. “Don’t help the enemy.”
“The enemy is saving my dialysis unit,” Leslie reminded her.
Liam didn’t seem to have heard her, anyway. At least, he wouldn’t let her catch his eye. Olivia, on the other hand, was watching her like a hawk.
“Say it louder,” she suggested.
“Whose side are you on?” Enid demanded.
“We can’t take over the fundraiser until we know what it is,” Olivia told her.
“I knew it!” Mary slapped the table. “I knew you were trying to undercut my son!”
“Your son is trying to steal the Ridley property—and Pittance Creek,” Enid said.
Liam spoke up again. “We need four new machines to get the unit running at full capacity, right, Jill?”
“That’s right. And we need to make sure the hospital doesn’t cut back the hours of the support staff.” Leslie launched into an explanation of the staff rotation.
“He still
