Tombstone.
Tonight I walked into the clinic, seeing a big group of people there. “Oh good, doc Jess you’re here!” I said to her as she was working on a patient.
“Hey Natalie. What can I do for you?” she asked as the man coughed hard.
“I was gonna see if you needed help here.”
“Not right now,” she said. “I have only had two patients since I got here this afternoon.”
“I’ll just wait till you need help then Miss Jess,” I said and looked around.
“Okay, can always use a helper,” she said and I grinned.
I looked over at the man on the couch and asked, “You okay Mister?”
“I don’t recall feeling bad,” the man coughing said.
“Do you need a doctor Mr?”
“I’m real sick. Best stay away so you don’t get it. Doctor looked at me already.”
“Oh.”
“Howdy, I’m Samual,” another man said, who was sitting beside the coughing man.
“Hi Samuel! How are you Samual?” I asked him.
“Good. Doc looked at me too,” Mr. Samual said.
“Oh… You sick?” I asked Mr. Samual as the man beside him kept coughing hard and I frowned at him.
“No, doc said I was very healthy,” Mr. Samual said.
“Oh good.”
“Well, grandpah has consuption.”
“A consuption? What that?”
“Yeah. Tuber-cul-liosis. I think the doc name for it.”
“Ah.”
“He’s not feelin’ good and thin and pale.”
“That no good. Hope whatever Doc Jess told him will help him get better.”
“I hope so too.”
“Who you live with Samuel?”
“My family pahs name is Zeth Draconia. He’s a ranger.”
“Oh I see. My mommy’s a detective. Well she not really my mommy... I kinda adopted her.”
“Wonderful.”
“I didn’t wanna live at orphanage anymore. Now that they have no one leading there... I glad.”
“Aww. True.”
“Orphanage lady was mean to me but she not around anymore. She left the town.”
“Oooh. She was?”
“Uh huh. So not many sick people tonight then huh?” I looked around as the clinic seemed to be getting quieter.
“Oh there will be.”
“You think so?”
“Yup,” he nodded.
“I not usually out this late but I been wantin’ to work. And there not much to do in the daytime.”
“Come and I’ll show you.”
“Okay but I gotta stay close to the clinic in case someone comes,” I looked down the street out the window and said, “Wow lots of people down there!”
“See I told ya and once there’s shooting… You’ll be real busy.”
“Uh huh! You have a job Sam? You have brothers or sister?”
“I have a sister, she’s sixteen years old.”
“Oh wow who is she?”
“Her name is Hayden grey Draconia.”
“Oh I think I met her once but I not sure.”
“And two other big families I still have to meet. They’re my family too.”
“Ooh. I don’t have any real brothers or sisters but Jimmy like a brother to me. He my best friend.”
“I never met Jimmy.”
“He nice. He protect me.”
“That’s good.”
“This one night... Mr James and…” I started but then blinked, seeing Miss Lisa and hid behind him. I watched ther and Mr. James walk away and exhaled. “They musta heard me talkin’ about them!!!”
“Hmmm wha?”
“I am goin’ to be leavin’ Allen Street,” Doc Jess said then. “Goin’ up to Shucks if you need me just call for me.”
“Okay, I’ll get myself home. I’m feeling a bit better,” said the man who was coughing.
“Okay, I am sure you will be feeling a little bit better,” Doc Jess promised him.
“Yes ma’am,” he nodded.
“Those vapors tend to help the lungs..”
“Yes, I’ll use it just like you say.”
“I have been runnin them in here while you were sleeping,” Doc Jess said.
“Is he gonna be okay Doc Jess?” I asked her.
“As well as he can be Natalie,” she nodded.
“That’s good,” I smiled.
“I’m goin up to the dance. You can come if you want,” Doc Jess said.
“I can change his bed sheet Doc Jess. So you can go to the dance,” I offered.
“Alright, just don’t get it too close to your body,” she warned.
“Okay Doc Jess I won’t.”
“Wash your hands after you are finished..”
“Of course, Doc Jess.”
I said goodbye to them as they all headed out of the clinic and then went to gather up the blankets, making sure not to touch myself as I put them in the dirty basket. I went to put new sheets on the bed and washed my hands again before heading home.
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