Johnny suspected, because of her lifestyle, that she might have a venereal disease. If that were the case, there wouldn’t be much he could do if the disease was in the advanced stage. What an ironic turn of events. Isabel had hated him when they were young. He hadn’t had much use for her either.
“Doctor?” The nurse had entered the office quietly and broke into his thoughts. “Someone to see you.”
“A patient?”
“No. He could be a salesman.”
“How are you doing, Theresa? You’ve been here since six this morning.”
“This has been a special day. I’ll be leaving soon. I wanted to make sure the night nurse had a handle on things.”
“Is Mrs. Cole still here?”
“Her husband came for her a few minutes ago. He apologized for taking her away early. He said something had come up, but didn’t say what it was.”
“Do you like her?”
“Yes, I do. She’s very pleasant, very capable.”
“I want you to tell me if you think there should be any changes in the staff. You’re in charge.”
“It will be a while before I know if there should be changes. So far everyone seems efficient and enthusiastic.”
Jude studied the woman. She was an excellent nurse. Saint Anthony Hospital in the city was sorry to lose her. She was not much over five feet and had a round, full figure. Although she weighed more than she should for her height, she was neat as a pin. Her uniform looked as if she had just put it on. The starched cap with the black stripe sat atop short, dark brown hair that was pulled back and pinned. Soft brown eyes in a pretty face with a flawless complexion looked back at him.
Theresa’s husband had been killed on the Normandy beach, leaving her with a son he had never seen.
“Has Ryan settled in?”
“He’s glad to be out of that apartment in the city. He’s crazy aboutMrs. Ramsey and her daughter Emily.” Theresa’s eyes lit up when talking abouther son. She was glad, too, to be away from her in-laws, who were trying to take over theraising of their grandchild.
“Then you’re happy here?”
“If my son is happy, I’m happy. I was lucky to find a place to rent just a block from the Ramseys.”
“I’m glad you’re with me.”
Theresa blushed at the compliment and lowered her head to study a chart she was holding.
“I’m glad to be here, Doctor.”
“I’m not sure sometimes how to proceed in a private practice,” Jude continued. “All I’ve done lately is work in a veteran’s hospital. You’ve worked with general practitioners. You’ll have to help me stay on the right track.”
“You took your brush-up courses and have all the right qualities to make a fine small-town doctor.”
“I appreciate your confidence.”
“I’d better show in your visitor before he seduces our receptionist. He’s already got her in a twitter.”
“He’s probably going to try and sell us some new equipment. I’ll lay out our bank statement. That’ll discourage him.”
Theresa went out and closed the door, but not before Jude heard a male voice and a woman’s nervous titter.
He was lucky to have Theresa. She’d met her husband during her last year of nursing school. They had been married two months when he was drafted into the service. She had given birth to their son without ever seeing him again and had worked for four years in Oklahoma City. Jude wondered what had caused her to accept a job in a small clinic at a third less pay.
When the door opened, all thoughts of Theresa, the clinic, and his aching thigh rushed from Jude’s mind. Fourteen years had passed since he had seen the big blond man who filled the doorway. Pete Perry had joined the navy back in 1932 as soon as he was cleared of the murder of Emmajean Dolan. His ship had been sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea, and Jude had not heard whether his brother had survived. Now here he was!
“Pete? God Almighty! Pete!” Jude, got up from behind his desk on numb legs and1 without taking his eyes off the man, managed to meet him in front of his desk.
“Hello, little brother.” Pete’s voice was husky with emotion. He grabbed Jude’s hand.
The two men stood looking at each other. Pete’s eyes were unnaturally bright, and Jude’s were misty.
“Lord, Pete, I never was able to find out if you made it after the Lexington was sunk.”
“Broke my leg is all. While I was in the hospital on New Caledonia, I got word the old man had died; and I didn’t know how to get in touch with you.”
“It’s good to see you. Lord, it’s good to see you.” Jude gripped his brother’s shoulders in his two hands.
“It’s good to see you, too. My little brother is a doctor. I was over at Red Rock looking for a trace of you. Henry Ann told me where you were. I hightailed it right over.”
“You always had a crush on Henry Ann,” Jude said with a nervous laugh.
“Yeah. Reaching for the moon, wasn’t I? I realize now that we’d not have suited each other and that I wanted something I knew I couldn’t have. I’d have made her miserable with my wild ways.” Pete grinned the devilish grin that women loved. “She said that Johnny came through the war and that he lives near here. She’s talked to him several times on the phone.”
“He was here today. Isabel has come to stay with him.”
“I thought sure that someone would have killed that little split-tail by now.”
“She’s sick. Johnny said that she’s very sick and didn’t have anywhere else to go. She turned out just like her mother, Dorene.”
“A whore, huh? I figured she would.”
“Are you going to stay awhile?”
“I didn’t re-enlist. I got a hankering to see familiar sights. I gave the navy sixteen years and saved a little money. I’d like to raise horses and dogs.”
“Stay with me until you decide what you want to do. I’ve got plenty of room.”
“I’d planned to stay at the hotel for a day or two.”
“No need for that. The doctor who built this clinic owned a house just a short distance away. I bought it along with the clinic.”
“Lord, but I’m proud of you, Jude.” Pete grasped Jude’s shoulder. “Never thought I’d see a Perry become a doctor. And you did it all by yourself.”
“You helped me once in a while. I know you slipped old Mrs. Hunting a little money now and then to help me with my studies.”
“I should have done more. I should have gotten you away from Mud Creek. All that was on Hardy’s mind was women, dancin’, and bootleggin’. He was no fit father to you.”
“I don’t think about it anymore. Our pa lived the way his pa lived. What’s important now is what we do with our lives.”
“Looks like you’re doing pretty good.”
“That’s yet to be proven. Let me show you around. This is a clinic, but we have bed patients. It’s a clinic/hospital because we do minor surgery. It is well equipped thanks to army surplus. Our X-ray rooms and the lab are the first ones on your right. I’m hoping to get a couple of good technicians soon. I’ve contacted old army buddies who may be interested. The surgery is at the end of the hall.”
Jude led Pete through a door and into a long hallway. They met Theresa, who had removed her starched cap and changed her white shoes for black ones with heels that made her appear taller.
“I’m leaving, Doctor. See you in the morning.”
“Theresa, I’d like for you to meet my brother, Pete Perry. Pete, this is Mrs. Frank. I was lucky enough to lure her away from a big-city hospital to work with me here.”
“Your brother?” Theresa looked up at the tall man. A slow smile started in her eyes and spread to her lips. Pete responded to the smile with one of his own. “We were sure that you were going to try and sell us bandages or bedpans,” Theresa said. She was really pretty when she smiled, Jude noticed.
“Now what would give you that idea?” Pete held on to her hand and looked down at her as if she were the only w
oman in the world. It was his natural response to a pretty woman. “Brother,” he said to Jude, “you do have all the luck.”
“You’ll have to excuse him, Theresa. He’s fresh from the navy.”
“That accounts for it. Welcome home, sailor.” She pulled her hand from Pete’s and turned to Jude. “I checked Mr. Case’s temperature. It’s steady at one degree above normal.”
“Good. Did you tell Miss Pauley to call me if it goes up as much as two degrees?”
“I told her, and she will. I’d better get going. It’s time to pick up Ryan. Nice to have met you, Mr. Perry.”
“Nice to have met you, ma’am.”
Jude continued with the tour of the clinic, introduced Pete to the night nurse, Miss Wanda Pauley, a no-nonsense spinster, and to Mr. and Mrs. Turtle who were employed to do the cleaning and the laundry.
“Is Rawlings big enough to support all this?” Pete asked when they were outside, standing beside his car.
“I hope so. It’s the only clinic in the county with a full-time doctor. The next town of any size is Frederick. Anything we can’t handle here we’ll send over there. We’ll be ready for most things. Of course, there’s always the unexpected. We’re getting an iron lung from the government. I’m hoping we don’t need one before it gets here.”
“Polio isn’t particular who it hits. A couple of young fellows on board ship came down with it. They took them off at Pearl and put them into iron lungs. I don’t know if they’re still alive.”
“So far, there have been only four cases identified in Tillison County. I don’t know if the records are correct. Sounds low to me, considering the number of cases in Oklahoma during the past ten years.”
“Do I get free doctoring?” Pete asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
“You’d trust me?”
“Well, now, I’ll have to think about it. How long is your memory?”
“Long enough to remember you knocking me on my butt a few times and cussing me out a lot of times.”
“That’s what I was afraid of. How far did you say it was to Frederick?” Pete laughed and slapped Jude on the back so hard he staggered. “Let’s go get those hamburgers. My belly button is rubbing against my backbone.”
When Dale Cole was told by the receptionist that her husband was waiting for her in the reception room, she blanched. She turned quickly back to the cabinet and returned the package she had removed. This was the second time Harry had been to the clinic during the four months she had worked here. She trembled at the memory of what had happened that day when they got home.
“Dale, did you hear me? Mr. Cole said something important had come up and wanted to know if you could leave early. Mrs. Frank was there and said for me to come find you.”
“Thanks, Millie. Tell him I’ll be there in a minute.”
Dale needed that minute to compose herself. Her mind raced back, trying to think of something she had done to set him off. She had seen him briefly when he had made an appearance with other members of the Chamber of Commerce. He had been in conversation with John Wrenn, the banker, and appeared to be in a good mood. She had been busy cutting and serving cake and unable to leave the table to speak to him. Had that been her mistake?
Dale picked up her purse and walked down the hall to the reception area on legs that trembled. Before she rounded the corner she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Her eyes went directly to her husband. He would notice if she looked frightened of him in public. He got to his feet when he saw her. He was a man of medium height with a head of thick brown hair and heavy brows. He worked as a supervisor for Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company.
“Harry, what has happened? Is Danny all right?” Dale asked with a worried frown.
“He’s all right. I had a call from your sister.” He said the last loudly enough for it to be heard by Millie Criswell, the receptionist. Then he grasped Dale’s elbow and steered her out the door.
“Which one?” Dale hurried to keep pace with him. His grip on her elbow was getting tighter and tighter, and her heart began to thump. What have I done? Oh, Lord, what have I done now?
“Get in the car,” he said when they reached it. He opened the door. He didn’t shove her; he was always careful in public.
Dale’s fearful eyes followed him as he rounded the front of the car. He was terribly angry. When he started the motor, he eased the car slowly away from the curb. He said nothing, which was not a good sign.
“Who called, Harry?” Dale asked when they were almost home.
“No one called,” he answered calmly.
“Then why did you want me to leave early?”
“I wanted to talk to you before Danny got home. I saw you rubbing up against that son of a bitch from the furniture store. You really think you’re something, don’t you, Dale? It was disgusting, is what it was. You must outweigh him by fifty pounds, and you were acting so coy, so cute. You were in his face, practically licking it, like a lapdog.”
“I wasn’t. I was serving cake—”
“—You fat bitch! Are you calling me a liar? You were slobbering all over him. You’ve been getting out of hand since we moved here. That job has gone to your head. The only reason I let you work was because of the labor shortage. Well, that’s almost over. Defense workers are being let go by the thousands. There’ll soon be more nurses looking for jobs than you can shake a stick at.” He stopped the car in front of the house. He turned and looked at her with pure hatred in his eyes. “Get in there unless you want the neighbors to see me kick your fat ass all the way up the walk.”
“Harry, it was my job to cut and serve the cake.”
“Your job is to see to the .one who feeds you and keeps a roof over your head. All you do is embarrass me, Dale, and talk behind my back. I can hardly look people in the eye anymore.”
“I’ve never, ever said a word about…anything.” I’ve kept the secret, hidden my bruises.
“I’m tired of your lies. Lie, lie, lie. You’re lucky I put up with you. I should have sent you packing years ago. Jesus! You’re about as sexy as a fat cow. I’d be better off sticking my pecker in a bucket of lard.”
Dale had heard the same demeaning remarks over and over. Last week it was because she had put too much salt in the corn bread. His insults had become so foul she had asked him if Danny could leave the table.
She thought about not getting out of the car. But in the mood he was in she didn’t know what he would do. Why was he like this? Dale answered her own question. He wanted wild, hard sex and accusing her of something helped him get aroused. It was always the same and had been since they married.
Harry had shown a little jealousy while he courted her, and she had been dumb enough to think it was because he loved her. Now she knew that he was incapable of loving even his own child. He wanted to possess her, humiliate her. It was the only way that he could feel superior to her. She felt the same hopelessness that she’d felt a hundred times before
Lord, how can I endure it?
It was best to get it over so that she could get herself composed before Danny came home. She was sure that their five-year-old son would know that something had happened between his parents, but he wouldn’t say anything. He was unusually quiet at times like this as though accepting that this was the way life was supposed to be. Someday Dale hoped to make him understand that not all men hit their wives and that she was enduring this so that she could be with him.
When she got out of the car, she looked to see if any of the neighbors were in their yards or on their porches. Harry’s fear that one of them would come over was the only thing that might stall for a while what she knew was coming, and even that would only prolong the inevitable.
For the past four months her work at the clinic had given her a new sense of self-worth. For the first time in years Harry was not supervising every move she made. She had enjoyed a freedom that had begun slipping away from her from the day she married him. Now he was going to take it away again.
Insid
e the house, Dale set her purse down and turned. She was unprepared for the open-handed blow that caught her on the side of the face, and she stumbled. Harry was on her in an instant, pushing her against the wall and holding her with his forearm against her neck.
“Get in there and get your clothes off, you fat slut. You been wantin’ a hard pecker, and you’re goin’ to get one.” Harry always talked nasty when he was in a rage. He emphasized his words by pushing his arousal against her.
“All right.” Dale had learned that to defy him enraged him more.
He released her and shoved her toward the bedroom. She stumbled into the room as she heard him going toward the bathroom for the razor strop. She knew what was coming. He would whip her bare buttocks until he was about to climax, then he would plunge roughly into her.
I’m afraid, she thought, that someday I will kill him.
Chapter Seven
Kathleen put on her coat, flipped a scarf over her head, and tied the ends beneath her chin before she left the house to walk to town. The sun was still warm this first part of November, but a brisk wind shook dried leaves from the trees that lined the street, and they crunched beneath her feet.
She’d had a restless night. Once, she had even left her bed to look out a windowwhen a dog barked furiously. Was that a man leaning against her car? She hurried to another window, mistakenly thinking that she would have a better view. When she returned, no one was there. Kathleen stood at the window for a long while, finally deciding that she had seen a shadow, that the man had been a figment of her imagination.
This morning the incident had left her mind as she crossed a street and stepped up on the sidewalk. Coming toward her was a woman wearing white shoes and white stockings. She wore a hip-length coat and a scarf on her head. Kathleen recognized her as Mrs. Cole, whom she had met at the clinic the day before.
“A nice cool morning, isn’t it?” Kathleen said.
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