Bobbi and Soul

by J. B. Marsden

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Sentencing day came. Bobbi worked at the clinic, seeing patients in both the morning and afternoon sessions, but her mind wasn’t on the job. She called one patient by the wrong name and got another’s diagnosis incorrect, talking about what the last patient was being seen for. Both episodes embarrassed her. She prided herself on how well she connected with patients. Getting names and diagnoses mixed up didn’t figure in good patient rapport in her world.

  Erin texted around noon to say she was coming by with some take-out lunch.

  Bobbi sighed in relief when she hugged Erin in the break room.

  “I’m not particularly hungry,” Bobbi confessed.

  “I imagined you wouldn’t be,” Erin said tenderly. “Don’t feel you have to eat. I also brought some fruit. You may want to keep some for later in the afternoon if you feel hungrier then.”

  Bobbi shuffled. “I wanted to let you know…I…”

  Erin waited patiently for Bobbi to continue.

  Bobbi led Erin out of the break room to her cubby so they could have some semblance of privacy. “I called Amanda. We went for coffee yesterday at noon. As we suspected, she knew we were seeing each other. But she responded well. She thanked me for having the good manners and thoughtfulness to tell her face to face that you and I were an item. I like her a lot and I hope we’ll continue as friends.”

  “You did good, Doc.” Erin nodded. “What time does court convene?”

  “They should be over. It was to start at ten this morning, but I’ve heard nothing from the attorney.” Bobbi ran her hand through her cropped hair, mussing it even more, she imagined. “I’m not nervous, really. I’m more hopeful that the judge will do the right thing. But I can’t say I’m not on tenterhooks waiting for the news.”

  Erin pulled Bobbi down for a kiss, her hands circling Bobbi’s neck. The kiss lingered and deepened.

  “Ahem.” Gen stood just outside the cubby. “Sorry to interrupt, folks.”

  Bobbi and Erin broke apart quickly.

  “Doctor, you have a call on the clinic line.”

  “Oh.” Bobbi looked at Erin meaningfully. “I’ve been expecting some news on the sentencing,” she said to Gen.

  Gen nodded, and as she turned to leave the cubby, she patted Bobbi on the shoulder without saying a word. Bobbi sighed with her heart open. Gen had been a great support these past few days.

  Before Bobbi went to answer the call, she asked Erin, “What was that kiss for?”

  Erin whispered, “A sign of coming attractions. We haven’t made love in days. I’ve missed you terribly and presume that you can handle some passion tonight.”

  Bobbi waggled her eyebrows and smirked. “Be right back. Hold that thought.”

  “Yes, this is Dr. Webster.”

  “Doctor, this is Paul Frank, the assistant DA. Ms. Sanderson asked that I call to inform you of the outcome of Mr. Myers’ court date today.”

  “Yes?” Bobbi bit her lower lip.

  “Judge Latimore took her time questioning Mr. Myers. She then went into chambers to study carefully all the sentencing support documents, including your witness impact statement. She just came out of chambers a few minutes ago.”

  Bobbi inhaled to steady her nerves. Just get on with it, she thought impatiently.

  “As we expected, and she stated in her preliminary remarks, she gave your VI statement more credence than she normally might, given that you’re a physician. She sentenced him to rehabilitation.”

  Bobbi exhaled the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Oh, thank God. That’s great news. She did specify a treatment facility?”

  “No. Drug court staff will work with his parole officer to come up with a plan for him. In the meantime, he’s to receive medical care for addiction. He looked in bad shape, so we surmised he might already be feeling the effects of detox. He’s being treated by one of the prison doctors and will be at the county prison medical facility until he’s transferred to rehab.”

  Bobbi nodded her head. “Yes, I see.”

  “Do you have any questions?”

  “So, is this business finished? Do I need to do anything else?”

  “You will be informed at the completion of his rehab and may need to give another victim statement then. We’ll keep you informed should that be the case down the road.”

  “Thank you.” Bobbi felt like gushing, but held back. Be professional, she admonished herself. “Thank you so much. I’m very pleased with this outcome.”

  “If that’s all, then, have a good day, Doctor.”

  Bobbi nearly ran down the hall to let Erin know the good news.

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  That night, Erin and Bobbi gingerly made love, fully aware of Bobbi’s continued healing, but also triumphant to have ended the bad business of violence surrounding them.

  Sweetly, Bobbi came to Erin. Tenderly, Erin held her and coddled her into a slow, burning explosion of pleasure.

  When Bobbi regained her composure, she said, “You make my heart sing, Elf. Can I return the favor?”

  “Not tonight. There’ll be other nights or days…or afternoons or mornings…or…” Erin stroked Bobbi’s short, unruly hair. “Are you tired?”

  “I’m…not tired, so much as relieved. Happy for Wes and his future health. And for his wife, who may have a chance to get her husband back whole.” Bobbi turned to face Erin in the bed. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not so naïve to think one trip through rehab will solve all his problems.”

  “You know, only forty-three percent of addicts complete treatment and eighteen percent remain clean and sober after five years.”

  “Whew. Not the best results. I remember how many times some celebrities have been through rehab. It’s scary. As a physician, I wonder if just leaving people alone with their own willpower wouldn’t be just as effective. But I would never deny anyone medical support through the detox phase. I’ve never treated anyone, it’s not my specialty, but addiction specialists use a whole cadre of drugs to aid in patient functioning while the illicit drugs come out of the neuro system.”

  Erin sighed. “I’m praying pretty hard for Wes and I’ll keep it up as long as I’m here in Colorado.”

  “Praying, yeah. I have a surprise for you.” Bobbi looked like a small child, as she continued. “I’ve been reading up on it. I found out that people who meditate regularly have lower blood pressure and heart rate, sleep better, and report better well-being. Reports of medical and nursing staff praying with pre-surgery patients show that surgeries have fewer complications, all else being equal. Less bleeding and better blood pressure control. But for me, the review of these scientific papers held more credence when they researched patients’ use of personal prayer to help transform the meaning of their illness. Chronic disease, like cancer, especially.”

  “Praying thanksgivings daily improves one’s gratefulness. My personal daily discipline includes nighttime journaling that focuses on my whole day, but specifically on giving thanks for the blessings of the day, even days when things went to hell in a handbasket.”

  Bobbi yawned. “So, we agree that prayer can have good effects. What I’m still uncertain about is how prayer works.”

  Erin chuckled. “I wish I knew the answer to that, too. Most times, I feel God’s presence during my prayers. But occasionally, I feel like I’m talking to an empty universe.”

  Bobbi swallowed hard.

  “Not often. But, sometimes, when the day has been long and difficult, I wonder where God is. It’s part of my faith, to question and search. It’s part of my priesthood, to help others to question and search too.”

  “You don’t have all the answers, Mother Erin?” Bobbi quirked a smile.

  “No way, Doctor. Just as you don’t. You can’t heal everyone, just like I can’t spiritually help everyone. I believe staunchly in people’s freedom to choose whether they can love a God who loves them whether they love Her or not.”

  “I’ve wondered where God is
for Wes. And for me. Although, I’ve felt God’s presence more and more since I’ve got to know you. I see patients in a different light, now. I see their struggles more readily than I did when I first started to practice in Colorado. Remember when you were seeing Charlotte Stephens and I bawled you out for having a communion kit in an isolation room?”

  Erin said, “I don’t think I’ll forget it soon.”

  Bobbi laughed. “I apologize for that arrogant doctor. I know now that your pastoral presence with Mrs. Stephens may have been as important as my medical treatment. Not that prayer would heal her miraculously, but that your prayer and presence and the—what do you call it?—sacraments gave her something solid to cling to in her discomfort and anxiety.”

  Erin’s eyes turned liquid in the dim light of Bobbi’s bedroom. She sniffled. “Thank you, darling.”

  “I still don’t know what this means for my religiosity. You know, whether I can do church. I still feel like I’m on another planet in that place, hearing a foreign language I’ve never heard. Seeing rituals I haven’t a clue about. I do like the singing.”

  Something in Erin leaped for joy at Bobbi’s confession about singing in church. She knew parishioners who’d come into the church because some part of the liturgy drew them in. God put desires in people’s hearts: Bobbi’s desire to sing was big.

  “Maybe you could bring your banjo and play with the singers some time?”

  “Ha, Elf. I just said I’m not sure about all this and you’re inviting me to be part of it? Hold your horses.”

  “But don’t you realize singing is God calling you to church?”

  “What? Wait a damn minute.” Bobbi sat up in bed.

  Erin sat next to her, placing her hands on Bobbi’s chest. “Don’t get bent out of shape, darling.”

  “And that’s the second time you’ve called me darling. I thought I was sweetie? What’s going on?”

  Bobbi looked at Erin’s nude body and then at her own. She snickered. “What are we doing?”

  Erin laughed raucously at the absurdity of being nude in bed having this major theological discussion. They settled down, both yawning.

  “I think it’s time for sleep, Mother Erin. Even if you can’t answer my theological questions while naked,” Bobbi quipped.

  Bobbi cuddled Erin until Erin heard her breathing rhythmically. Erin carefully disengaged Bobbi’s arms from her waist. She sighed in happy contentment.

  Epilogue

  January, Eighteen Months Later

  “Why did we have to move in the dead of winter? It’s freezing out here.”

  Bobbi took a box Erin had been wrestling and set it down in the living room of their new house. They’d worked out a rent-to-own deal with the widowed, older man who owned it. He lived in Bend now, just recently having left Ketchum due to his failing health.

  “I thought you were Chicago-tough? Where’s your winter coat, Elf?”

  “I didn’t want to get it dirty, Dr. Take Charge.”

  Bobbi looked around at the mess of boxes and furniture in the living room and felt overwhelmed. “What should we do first?”

  Erin wrapped her arms around Bobbi’s neck. “Well, my wife, I’d say let’s have some tea, a snack, and think it over. But my vote goes to getting the bed put together first. Then the guest room. Yancy and Gen will be here soon.”

  Bobbi’s phone rang. Yancy’s cell number came up. “Yes, Dr. Webster here,” she said very seriously.

  Yancy huffed with laughter. “Hello, Doctor. We’re just outside of John Day now. Your fragile medical equipment made it just fine in the Rover. Ryan’s asleep in his car seat. He’s been out since Wyoming this morning. We’re picking up groceries here, getting some lunch, and should be there by two-thirty.”

  “Great. I can’t thank you enough for volunteering to drive my instruments for the new clinic. The movers would never have dealt with it to my satisfaction. I’m going to the clinic tomorrow afternoon.”

  “See you soon,” Yancy said, signing off.

  ****

  Erin threw away paper plates from their lunch, while Bobbi and Yancy set up the furniture in the guest bedroom and made the bed. They’d picked up a Pack ‘n’ Play for two-year-old Ryan tonight and for any future visits.

  Gen came around the kitchen island, carrying Ryan’s diaper bag. “How’s married life treating you?” she asked Erin.

  “Well, give me more than forty-eight hours, I might know better, but so far, I love it.”

  Gen hugged Erin. “We’re so happy for you. But, on the other hand, you agreed to come here to Oregon with my best physician. I was hoping she’d stay in Valley View because of you.”

  Erin shook her head. “I couldn’t do that to her, Gen. She had her heart set on coming back home. I wasn’t particularly tied to Colorado, so it seemed like a no-brainer to help her set up the new practice. These folks in Ketchum have been traveling over fifty miles for many years, just to see a primary care doctor. They’re treating her like royalty. Did you see all the baked goods in the pantry?”

  “I saw all those goodies. Muffins, cake, two pies.”

  “I’m gonna weigh a ton eating it all. You know Bobbi is not into sweets much.”

  “Don’t worry. Yancy has a major sweet tooth. While we’re here, you can count on her to help you out.” Gen grinned.

  A small wail came from the master bedroom. “That’s the boy. Let me go check.”

  “Knock, knock.” The Websters opened the door slightly and Fran peeked around it.

  “The cavalry has arrived,” Bob Webster said in his hearty rancher voice.

  “Welcome. It’s wonderful to have you come over. Our first guests.” Erin hugged them each.

  “Guests, hell. I’m moving furniture. Where is it?” Bob looked around the chaotic, box-filled living area.

  “We don’t have much furniture yet. A small couch and two armchairs,” Erin said sheepishly. “We’re planning to pick up more in Bend later this winter and have it delivered.”

  “Well, then let me at the other furniture. I brought my toolbox.” He held a bright red, metal box.

  “Bobbi and Yancy are putting together beds. Just down the hall.”

  Fran noticed open boxes of kitchenware. “Do you trust me to put these away where you won’t find them until a month from now?” She smirked.

  Erin laughed. “I don’t care, Fran. Put them where you think items should go. Bobbi and I’ll work it out. I trust you to do it right, with your teacher organizational skills.”

  Fran went to work immediately, pulling pans out of a box.

  Gen returned, carrying a tow-headed toddler. “Say hi to Auntie Erin. Hi granny Fran.”

  “Please, anything but granny! How about Mimi? I’ve always wanted to be a Mimi.”

  “Mimi it is,” Gen said, shaking her head.

  Ryan rubbed his eyes.

  Erin took him from Gen. “Hi, big boy. Did you have a nice nap? Do you want something? You slept through Mommie and Momma’s lunchtime.”

  Gen prepared food for Ryan while Erin hooked his booster chair to the dining chair, and Fran busied herself with organizing kitchen utensils and pots.

  Gen fed him and they talked.

  “How’s he doing these days?”

  “He finally is sleeping through the night, although his schedule’s out of whack with our trip, so who knows what’ll happen tonight.”

  Yancy and Bobbi came into the dining area of the kitchen. “The guest room’s all set up, including the Pack ‘n’ Play,” Bobbi said while wiping her hands on her jeans.

  “They needed my tools.” Bob brushed his nails over his work shirt.

  “Dad.” Bobbi swatted him playfully. “Thank you. You did come at a crucial moment.”

  Yancy sat down on the other side of Ryan, picked up a spoon, and fed him some yogurt and fruit.

  Erin and Bobbi watched her with amusement, as yogurt began to cover Ryan’s face.

  “You’re doing pretty well there, Momma.” Bobbi couldn’t h
elp but tease Yancy about the parenting skills she’d acquired in the four months Ryan had been with them.

  Gen asked, “What about you two? Making any plans for miniature Erins or Bobbis?”

  Bobbi, wide-eyed, immediately said, “One thing at a time, please. First, set up the practice. Then Erin starts her job as chaplain at hospice. Then get the house settled and get to know the neighborhood again. Then. Then, only, will these discussions ensue.”

  Erin looked at Bobbi. “Oh, and when were you going to tell me these plans?”

  Fran looked up from her third open box. “Yes, interesting plans, Bobbi.”

  Bobbi hugged Erin tightly. “Soon, Elf. Soon.” Her heart swelled with love and tenderness. They were just beginning the life she’d never thought she could have. Medicine came first, until Erin came into her life. Now medicine remained important, but she didn’t eat, sleep, and live it every day. They enjoyed their date nights, their quiet nights reading, and even riding horses at Triple D Ranch. That reminded her. “Also, we’ve got to find a place to go horseback riding, now that you’re a regular cowpoke.”

  “Please, that decision can wait a while. My rump hasn’t recovered from our last trail ride before Christmas.” Everyone laughed, while Erin looked chagrined.

  “We have our whole life ahead of us, Elf.”

  They kissed until Yancy cleared her throat loudly. “Not in front of innocent eyes, please.”

  For the remainder of the afternoon, Erin cleaned bathrooms, Gen took over Ryan duty, Yancy, Bobbi, and Bob finished the furniture, while Fran cleaned the stocked kitchen.

  They finally all sat to enjoy food Fran had prepared and brought over.

  Yancy filled their glasses with very good red wine from their collection. “Gen and I brought this Bordeaux we picked up in Paris on our honeymoon, just for a special occasion. Your wedding didn’t seem the proper time, so let’s give you a good beginning to your new life in Oregon.” She raised her glass. All at the table followed her lead. “To Bobbi and Erin. May they live a long life filled with love and laughter.”