CAPITULO 1

by Coltrain's Proposal(lit)

  - Just as my father - murmured she, contracting the face.

  Drew continued observing her in silence.

  - Lou, I know that there are things about which you do not want to speak, but if it is not with me, believe that you should look a therapist. You cannot allow that the past should interfere with your present.

  - It will be better than between. It does it fried - she murmured without answering.

  - It is well, I have received the message, I will leave the topic - Drew said, shrinking of shoulders.

  - Thank you - Lou murmured, giving him a kiss in the cheek-. He drives carefully.

  - I will do it. Look after.

  Rubbing nervous the doll, Lou saw moving away Drew's car to turn dela window of the foyer. He was not going to think about it, it was said, he was not going to think about it. It would go away to the bed and would extract it of his mind.

  But it was not like that. It woke up in the middle of the night with the face bathed in tears, scared, until he remembered where he was. It was safe, that hell had finished, it was said to calm down. Nevertheless, it was evident annoyed, and had the dry gullet. It raised and went to the kitchen to fill a water pitcher and a glass and turned to the bed, hoping to be able to conciliate the sleep again and not to have any more nightmares.

  At half after nine of the following day, when the stamp of the door began to insistent asdic, Lou was half a grogui. The rest of the night had passed going to the bath to be sick constantly, and it had a few terrible retortijones in the stomach in addition to being evident tremulous and being bathed in a cold perspiration.

  The stamp of the door was not stopping sounding. Lou tried to get up, but it was very sick and the head was on the verge of him exploding, so it was dropped again on the mattress with a croaking and decided to hope that the one who should want that it was should get tired and should leave.

  Suddenly the stamp was kept silent, and everything remained in silence, but after a few seconds, Lou heard as the door of the entry was opened. Drew knew that it had a key hidden under the flowerpot holder of the entry. Would it be he, which had worried on having seen that it had not gone to work?

  A few steps approached the bedroom, but in the pivot hole of the open door it was his friend who appeared, but Coltrain.

  - So that it is here - it spluttered with an insolent look-. If he was thinking the free day took today, less that it could have done would be to have warned.

  Lou tried to focus the sight, but it was too sick.

  - I have been awake almost the whole night ... - it began.

  - With Drew?

  In his state, Lou did not manage to throw even a killer look as he would have liked to do.

  - vomitando - he corrected it-. Will not it have anything to cry out the morning sickness, truth? I have the made stomach slack.

  - I have left the briefcase in the car. I return at once.

  It went out, and returned after a few seconds, with the briefcase in the hand and the stethoscope hanging by the neck.

  - Although it is a tremendous imprudence to have the key and a house under a flowerpot holder, I must say that it has been a luck that is the imprudent one. If not, it might not have entered.

  It took the temperature of him and auscultated her. It had fever, but it seemed that the lungs were well.

  - A virus - diagnosed.

  - Do not say to me? - she exclaimed in a weak but sarcastic tone.

  - It will live.

  - Does it want to give me anything at once, please? - Lou begged him, supporting itself the stomach with a hand.

  Coltrain opened the briefcase and extracted a syringe.

  - I will put an injection to stop the vomiting. A pill would not serve as anything.

  In spite of being a doctor, Lou was detesting the injections, but it was allowed to do.

  - I believe that it needed to go to the bath - it murmured when he was removing the disposable needle to the syringe-. Might I to help to come even there? Scarcely I can support oneself in foot.

  Coltrain her helped to get up, warning fragility of his body when I rest on him. It took her up to the cleaning and, after making her seated in a stool, went out and left her so that it had intimacy, closing the door after if.

  - If he needs something, call me - he said to him.

  Minutes later, Lou went out of the bath and Coltrain her helped to come again to the bed.

  When the young woman was wrapping up herself, he saw that the doctor was raising the receiver of the phone of his bedside table and was marking.

  - What is it doing?

  Coltrain did to him a gesture so that it was kept silent.

  - Hello, I am the doctor Coltrain. Order an ambulance to Arms Lane, number twenty-three. Yes, that is. Thank you.

  Lou looked at it furious.

  - I do not need to go to the hospital ...! - he protested.

  - Already I it believe that yes - it cut her-. I am not going to make her here alone, so that it is dehydrated. At the speed to the one that is losing liquids, he might die in three days.

  - And what matters for you if I die? - furious she pierced him.

  Coltrain was not listening to her. He stooped to take the pulse, and on having seized the doll, she came up with brusqueness. Coltrain looked at her confused, and saw that it had become lightly paler than was. Suddenly, nevertheless, he remembered the charitable dinner of the previous night. Drew had taken it of the right hand, but he, logically, since it doing to take the pulse, had taken the left side.

  Under the sight towards the comforter, on which the left hand of the young woman was lying, and he observed that it seemed that he had suffered an important break. It had been treated, of course, but nevertheless it was evident.

  - I do not want to go to the hospital - encabezonó Lou.

  - Since it will go, although it has to drag her for the hair - he set himself-. Does it have any holdall? I will put him in her what he is necessary for the time that it is incomer.

  The young woman threw a rabid look, but as nothing it served him. After a few minutes it was sounding the stamp. Coltrain went to open the door and allowed to go on to the stretcher-bearers. When it was following them up to the ormitorio, it was fixed in the pictures that were decorating the walls. Some of them were quite worrying, but the drawings of flowers to the cake were very nice. He wondered if...

  Coltrain accompanied them out, and before they were raising Louise to the ambulance, she murmured one "thank you" reluctantly.

  - It does not have why to give them to me - he answered with a light smile. Nevertheless, in his eyes there was a pensive expression-. The pictures that it has in the house ... did you paint them? - he asked him suddenly.

  - How is it known it? - she surprised murmured.

  But he could not answer him, because the stretcher-bearers asked him to separate to raise it to the ambulance.

  CHAPTER 4

  Some hours later, Louise was waking up in a room of the hospital. They had given him a quite strong tranquilizer, and it had remained asleep. On having opened the eyes, it met a nurse next to you that was descorriendo the curtains.

  - Oh, it has woken up, confers a doctorate - he said to him with a smile-. Is he better?

  - A little - Lou murmured.

  - Since very soon it will be completely restored, already he will see it. We are going to take care of her very well. Is it hungry?

  - The truth is that yes - answered Louise-. What offers me? inquirió rejealous.

  Although it had proved it ever, the meal that they were serving every day the incomer patients did not have a too tasty aspect.

  - How is consommé, a gelatine of fruits, and a manzanilla?

  - Might not it to be a coffee instead of manzanilla? - Lou ventured given hope.

  The nurse burst out laughing.

  - Good, perhaps a slack coffee. I will see what can do.

  It went out of the room, and minutes later, Drew was putting the head out for the half-open door.
/>   - I said to you that it seemed that you had fever: do you remember? - it stung it, while it was approaching the bed-. How are you?

  - Better, thank you - answered she-, but it was not necessary to deposit me.

  - Cooper does not think the same thing - he entertained murmured-. I will happen to see you then. Behave well.

  Lou breathed heavily and had a short rest. Sure that in the door of his consultation there would be a heap of angry patients waiting, and poor Brenda would be trying to calm them, because Coltrain as it would have always passed the whole morning in the operating theatre, operating.

  Lou verified it in his longest own meats that were doing the hours in a bed of hospital. At nine o'clock of the night, Coltrain was starting going on from room to room, verifying the state of the incomer patients, and about half after nine it entered that she was. It seemed so tired that Lou felt bad for leaving to him all the work for a simple virus.

  - i feel it - it spluttered, irritated with it misma for being so weak.

  - What? - inquirió he arching an eyebrow and sitting down at the edge of the bed. It took the pulse in the right spring instead of in the left side, and this time neither tried itself to separate nor gave samples of discomfort.

  - So that has to deal with my patients in addition to theirs - Lou murmured. The sensation of the long fingers of the doctor concerning his doll was turning out to be too many turbadora, and it noticed how him arrebolaban the cheeks.

  His reaction did not happen unnoticed to Coltrain, who inclined, her looking at the eyes, but did not separate the hand, and to the moment he felt how the pulse of the young woman was hastening when it brought his face over to of her. It would be possible that ...?

  Louise avoided his intense look.

  - I ... I feel already much better - it stammered-. I believe that tomorrow I will be able to return to the work.

  Coltrain released the doll and put itself of foot, observing with curiosity the rapid one rising and to go down the breast of his assistant. It was a strange reaction in a woman who was always straining for showing him his rejection. It checked in silence the medical report that Drew had given him.

  - Yes, it has improved - he concluded-. If you continue evolving this way, perhaps tomorrow in the morning give him the discharge, but to go away to house, not to work - he added with steadfastness-. Drew had tomorrow the free day and it me has offered to help, so I will not need it.

  - That has been very kind on his part.

  - Yes, Drew is always very kind - Coltrain agreed absent-mindedly while he was adding a few notes to the report.

  Lou could not stop oneself.

  - Not since others ...-spluttered.

  Coltrain raised the sight of the report and laughed softly.

  - He does not like: truth? - he asked him, gathering the lips-. I suppose that neither him h to given reasons to do it - it admitted-. Since it came I have proved to be hostile and sarcastic.

  - And I who was thinking that it was his character ...-she restored with the whole intention.

  Coltrain outlined an entertaining smile.

  - since it sees already, it is not as well as I am. In reality you do not meet me by no means.

  - I do not even have interest to know it.

  Coltrain had been mistaken with regard to her during an entire year, but his offended and haughty attitude not cheat it again. At first he had believed that if it was pushing it back it was because he hated it, but he was starting comprising that it was not like that. Louise Blakely was a very vulnerable woman, but it had been late too much in realizing, and perhaps it might not already repair the damage that it had done. It would leave of Jacobsville before it could find out if what he was feeling for her was simply the attraction that was arising between opposite poles, or slightly deeper.

  One put the hands in the pockets and continued studying it thoughtfully. The bad night that ha'bia past was reflecting in his pale face, the dull hair and the pouches, but nevertheless it had a strange beauty.

  - I already know what aspect I have, thank you - she mumbled on having seen fixedly that was looking at her. It lowered the sight to his interlaced hands-. Do not be necessary that he scrubs me that I am slightly attractive, a doctor. My father never lost the opportunity to distinguish myself all that what he was lacking.

  His father... The expression of Coltrain hardened after the memories came to his mind of what that man had done to him. Nevertheless, in this occasion they came accompanied from rumours that it had heard about the way in which the doctor Fielding Blakely had treated his poor wife. He had never stopped to think about her, but in this moment it was said that the most probable age that missis Blakely should know about the romances of his husband. Perhaps had not it important for him that it him was unfaithful?: or perhaps had it been of him afraid as for to begin it in face? And that existed of the broken doll of his assistant, and of his reserve towards him, and of his absence of autoesteem?

  - Did his mother know that his father him was unfaithful? - he asked him sharply, half-closing the eyes.

  Louise continued looking at it as if he could not believe that it had done to him this question.

  - Was it known it? - Coltrain insisted.

  She raised the sheet up to the neck.

  - Yes - he said, almost spitting the word.

  - And why did not it leave it?

  Lou allowed to escape a bitter laugh.

  - You cannot ... he cannot even imagine what was that one...

  - Perhaps yes be able - he murmured, approaching wing bed-, perhaps imagine a heap of things that have not occured to me earlier. It is curious. We go working together for almost one year, and suddenly it is as if it had looked at her, but he had never seen her really.

  Louise was removed uncomfortable.

  - Perhaps what happens is that his imagination is overflowing, doctor - he said to him in an icy tone-. I have not asked him for his attention; I do not want her.

  - Neither mine, nor that of no other man: is not it like that?-inquirió he softly.

  Lou was starting feeling as an insect fixed in a plate of cork with a pin.

  - Might it to make me alone, please? - it wailed-. I am not well, and the last thing is burning hot it is attractive is to surrender to an examination.

  - Is it that what believes that I am doing? to interrogate her? - he restored-. Only it was showing a late interest for my assistant.

  - After the Christmastime I will not be already his assistant. I presented to him my letter of resignation. Or is it that he has forgotten it?

  - Oh, that. I broke it.

  Lou's eyes were leaving for him of the orbits.

  - What did do " What "?

  - I broke it, in pedacitos - he repeated, shrinking of shoulders-. I feel it, but I cannot do without you. His patients will not want to tread on the hospital again if I have to attend to them.

  - Do not say bullshit - Lou restored, blushing lightly-. Before it was coming the people were very satisfied with you, and he was fine very much.

  - too much good - it was the response of him-. It was taking almost two years without vacation taking. You have lightened me very much the load of work. So, already it sees, although he does not believe it, it has become indispensable. It will have to remain.

  - I do not think to remain! - almost she irritated by his presumption shouted him-. I hate it!

  For his surprise, Coltrain agreed with the head.

  - This way it is better - he said-. The hate is healthier than the fear. I prefer that he hates me to that he begins backwards whenever I approach, as a turtle that gets into his shell before the minor danger.

  Lou looked at it open-mouthed.

  - i not ... - he protested.

  - already I it believe that yes - it cut her-. And then that thing about is all these secrets that so jealously he keeps. Well, I make sure to him that I am not going to make her calm until each of them tells me, beginning for the reason for the one that does not support that nobody her
takes hold of the left doll.

  Lou noticed that the cheeks were burning him.

  - I am not going to tell him anything.

  - Why not?-inquirió Coltrain-. It would not be told anybody. I neither am a gossip, I nor am speaking round there about the others.

  Louise knew it, knew that it was not this person's class. The doll rubbed thoughtful, contracting the face on having remembered the pain that he had felt, and how it had happened.

  Coltrain observed her in silence, patiently, asking him how it could have accused her of being cold. It had a character almost so strong as his, and it was clear that it was never getting scared. If he had avoided his contact till then it was because there was something in his past that still was tormenting it.

  - She is a mysterious woman - it murmured-. We take one year working together, but scarcely I know nothing about you.

  - The fault is not mine - he remembered him with coldness-. Since I came to the hospital it has treated me with the top of the foot.

  Coltrain inspired, expelled air, and agreed with the head.

  - It is true, it was spiteful for what his father did, and I paid it with you.

  Lousie looked at it surprised. He had not hoped that it should admit it so openly.

  - Good, I suppose that I in his place would feel equal - it granted-, but it was not known anything about the past of my father. I do not know why I thought ñeque ever there had to be a reason for the one that left of Jacobsville and it never returned, not at least to visiting his brother, while this one still lived. The truth is that it never seemed to my mother to matter for him to return. I suppose that it had to known ... - it could not finish the phrase.

  - And nevertheless it continued with him - Coltrain said.

  - It had to do it! - almost Lou shouted-. If it had tried to leave it, he it would be ... - it swallowed saliva, but once again his voice broke.

  - Would it be what? - it urged her to continue, sitting down next to you-: killed?

  Lou was unable of it look at the eyes. The memories were returning to his mind in a violent maelstrom; the violent thing on that father was putting himself whenever he was taking drugs, the threats, the fear of his mother, the fear that she herself had spent, the crying, the screams, the pain...