Apache Heart
Page 3
“That’s terrible. I hope no one was hurt.”
“Some, but no one died, so you have to be thankful for that.”
The young guy with the air gun walked over, “You’re good to go.”
Harold nodded, “Okay then, I’ll ring you up.”
“So what should a girl with new tires on her truck go do on a Sunday afternoon?”
“I take it you’re not a gambler or a golfer?”
“Not hardly.” Randi shook her head.
“Then I’d say go take a hike—I mean literally, not figuratively.” He pulled out a topographical map from a stack of wrinkled maps and atlases behind his cash register. “Okay, we’re here, your place is up here, and if you go over here,” he tapped the map with a finger, “That’s a beautiful canyon hike. Not too hard, not too easy, maybe four miles round trip. You’ll like it.”
“Is there anything that marks the trailhead?”
“There’s a little parking area and a sign, you’ll see it.”
###
Some time alone seemed like a good idea. The weather was holding mild, and she knew soon it would be a lot hotter. It was a good time to go exploring and to process her initiation into her new life. As she hiked, Randi thought about things she’d like to do to fix her place up to make it feel more like her own and to make it more functional. She definitely needed some things to put on the walls; she only had a few framed pictures of family and friends, and those she’d put on the dresser in her bedroom. A good reading light, some shelves for the pantry, a new bathroom rug and a shower curtain that matched, a sturdy wastebasket for the kitchen. All in all it was a mundane list, but thinking about it made her feel like she was a resident, not just passing through.
She thought about Elan’s statement about Northeasterner’s using the community to get rid of their loans, and she wondered how she could be more a part of the community. She wasn’t a church-going type, and clearly she couldn’t participate in tribal functions except as a guest, but maybe she could volunteer with kids, help with softball or scouts or something like that. She made a mental note to talk to Lozen about it. She hoped too, that she’d make some friends when she was doing educational work through the fieldwork program.
The hike was as beautiful as Harold had promised, and it felt good to work up a sweat. Her body seemed to feel more alive than it had in ages, and she wondered if Lee had something to do with that. His behavior was on one hand enchanting and wonderful, and on the other, a little inscrutable and frustrating. Maybe his lack of forwardness was a cultural thing, or maybe he was only interested in being friends. It hit her that perhaps the sexual part of the attraction wasn’t mutual. She hoped not, but only time would tell.
As she neared the little gravel parking area at the trailhead, Randi heard a car come screeching to a halt. Through a clearing in the trees, she saw a man jump out from behind the wheel, and violently throw open the passenger door. He reached in and grabbed the woman sitting there, and jerked her from the car. Randi sucked in a breath; it was the pregnant woman she’d seen at the prenatal clinic with a black eye. The man was yelling at her, and she silently struggled to get away. He wrenched her arm hard behind her, and then pushed her to the ground. Randi dug through her little knapsack, found her cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.
An anonymous woman’s voice, answered, “Sierra Blanca Tribal Police, What’s your emergency?”
Randi tried to keep her voice low, “This is Dr. Randi Green—I’m at the trailhead for Ghost Fork Canyon. There’s a man in the parking area roughing up a pregnant woman.”
“Are you in a safe location? The dispatcher asked.
“Yes, I think so.”
“Don’t try to intervene, we’ve got officers on the way.”
“Please tell them to hurry.” Randi clicked her phone off and then decided to snap a couple of pictures for evidence. The woman was in a crumpled heap on the ground, her knee skinned up by the gravel. The man stood over her yelling incoherently, but it had something to do with what she had done with some money. She shielded her stomach with her hands, but said nothing. Frustrated, the man kicked at the gravel, and then spun around, delivering a roundhouse kick to her belly. She let out a cry as she tried to scramble away.
Where were the cops? Randi thought. She knew it had only been a couple of minutes, but it felt like an eternity. She realized it might take ten or fifteen minutes before they got there.
Screw not intervening, she thought, and she popped out of the brush.
“Hey! What’s going on here?” she yelled.
The man was clearly surprised, and he turned and snarled at Randi. “None of your damn business. Get the hell out of here.”
Randi stood her ground. “I’m a doctor, let me help her.”
“There’s nothing wrong with her that a good beating won’t fix.” He took aim again with his foot. Randi looked at the pointy-toed snakeskin boots and knew that a jab from one had to really hurt. She rushed at the man.
“Leave her the hell alone.”
Without a word or any warning, the man swung his arm and backhanded Randi across the mouth. She could feel her lip split and then a trickle of warm, salty, blood in her mouth. But he had chosen the wrong woman to smack; Randi had plenty of training for dealing with belligerent patients in a big city emergency room. And she had the advantage of the man not expecting her to slam her knee in his groin. He roared in pain, and fell to his knees. For good measure, Randi kicked him in the balls again. Quickly she helped the woman up.
“Where are the car keys? Randi asked, panting.
“In the ignition.”
“The cops are on their way, get in.” She gently shoved the woman into the car, and Randi locked them in. “We need to get you to the hospital for an ultrasound and monitoring.”
“Who are you?” The woman asked, suspiciously.
“I’m the new doctor at the hospital, my name’s Randi.”
The woman froze, “You shouldn’t have called the police.”
“What are you talking about? He was endangering you and your baby.”
“I—I know, but this is a family thing.”
“Look, I’m not trying to interfere in your family, I’m just trying to make sure you are okay. You already had a black eye. It’s really common for battering to escalate during pregnancy.” Randy tried to be as emphatic as possible. “It’s not going to get better.”
They could hear the siren in the distance, and the woman got frantic, “Please, please, the cops can’t see me like this. Please get me out of here.”
“You want to take care of your baby? Right? You need to get away from him. Go stay with family, or we’ll find a shelter, something. That man is out of control—he might not stop until he kills you.”
“All right, you’re right, you’re right.” She started to sob, but when Randi tried to put an arm around her shoulders, she flinched and scooted away. She turned and looked at Randi with pleading eyes, “Please, please don’t tell my brother.”
Randi looked at her puzzled, “Who’s…your brother?”
“Lee—Lee Yahnahki. I’m his sister, Maggie, and if Lee finds out, he will go after my husband, and he won’t stop until he kills him.”
###
After they handcuffed Maggie’s husband, Joe, and put him in the back of the police SUV, the tribal cops gave Randi a little lecture about how she could have gotten hurt a lot worse than she did, but Randi could tell it was their script, and that they were actually a little impressed. The younger one of the pair took a statement from her. He made a few last notes.
“Ok Dr. Green, we’re going to take Joe and put him in the drunk tank until he sobers up. Then we’ll figure out things from there.” The officer flipped his notepad shut.
“I’m going to drive Maggie to the hospital, get her checked out. Abdominal trauma is nothing to play around with given where she is in her pregnancy.”
He nodded in agreement. “One of us will drive their car back to the station.”
“I’m Maggie’s uncle—I’m trying to get her to go to her Mom’s house…after you get her checked out.” He cleared his throat and added by way of clarification, “Maggie’s father passed a couple of years ago…cancer.”
“She doesn’t want to do that?”
“I’ve persuaded her to go to the hospital with you, but she says she’s not going to press charges, and then she’ll go home. Says that Joe will be sorry tomorrow when he sobers up.”
“And you’ll have to let him go?”
“It’s tricky with the domestic violence stuff. We’ve got you as a witness, so he could be prosecuted without Maggie pressing charges, but it’s tough when the victim isn’t compliant. Sometimes it makes things worse.” Maggie’s uncle was clearly upset. “And sometimes family members decide to take things into their own hands, and that’s no good either.” He rubbed his jaw.
“I better get her in. She’s not having abdominal pain, which is good, but that doesn’t mean that everything is okay.”
He handed Randi a business card. “Call me. Medical information can be released without her consent if it’s needed to minimize the threat to a victim. And given how far along she is, we have to protect her and the baby.”
The reservation was feeling very small, Randi thought, as she got behind the wheel of her truck. And what did Maggie’s uncle mean that, sometimes, family members take things into their own hands? And Maggie had made that strange comment about Lee killing her husband. It didn’t sound like she meant it figuratively. Randi began to worry that maybe there was more going on with Lee than she knew.
Maggie leaned her head against the glass of the window, looking dejected. She said nothing, but her hands held her belly protectively. Randi remembered what Lee said about how when you talk too much, it doesn’t leave room for people to think their own thoughts, so she let her be. Maybe Maggie would reason her way to the right decision.
Randi steadied Maggie getting out of the car, but then Maggie shook off her hand and walked into the hospital with her head up. To Randi’s surprise, Lozen was there.
“You’re here?” Randi asked.
“We rotate Sunday coverage, so yeah. You’ll get your turn. The more interesting question is what are you doing here?” She turned to Maggie, “What’s going on?”
Randi answered for her, “Blunt trauma to the abdomen. She needs an ultrasound.”
Things checked out okay, but they insisted on Maggie spending the night at the hospital for observation.
“Go home Lozen, I’ll stay over. It’s not like there’s much going on at my house. I’ll run home in the morning to shower and change before the clinic opens at 8.”
“Things should be quiet.”
Randi walked with Lozen toward the door. “Maggie doesn’t want her brother Lee to know, said he would kill her husband—and their uncle, the cop, made some reference about family taking things into their own hands. Is there something I need to know here?”
Lozen stopped, putting her hand to her mouth, as if trying to decide whether to speak or not. “Lee—Lee’s been in jail. It’s a messy story, but Lee did a year for assault and battery.”
Randi sucked a breath in. She was falling for a criminal? How could she be so stupid to throw herself at the first guy that came along without knowing anything about him? She could hear her father’s voice in her head, “Don’t get blinded, Randi, don’t waste yourself on guys that aren’t up to your standards. If you wouldn’t consider them for the long haul, don’t consider them at all.” Three days in this little place, and already things were complicated.
“Thanks—thanks for telling me.” Randi felt a little dazed, and maybe just a little bit sick to her stomach. Just because it glitters doesn’t mean it’s gold, she reminded herself.
The next morning, Maggie had a friend come pick her up, and nothing Randi could say could make her change her mind about going back to the home she shared with Joe. Randi ran home to change after a crappy night of sleeping in the chair next to Maggie. When she got back, Elan was standing with a stack of files, somehow managing to look very handsome in a white lab coat that had seen better days. He handed them over.
“Blood pressure clinic this morning. Read’em the riot act if they aren’t taking their meds. Dr. Wilson is covering the usual stuff—sore throats, poison ivy, encounters with rusty nails—I’m around to help if anything serious comes in, but otherwise, I’m going to try to catch up on my charting.”
“Got it.” Randi turned to head toward the clinic.
“Randi…” Elan, coughed a little, “I’d like to take you to lunch today, give you a proper welcome.”
Randi smiled, “I’d really like that, thanks.”
The morning passed uneventfully, and most of her patients seemed friendly enough. She began to see a pattern in the way people took their time warming up to her, taking some time to just observe. It wasn’t in any way rude, just a certain kind of reserve, but she felt like she managed to win most of them over before the appointment ended. Most seemed to approach their health stoically which was very different than what she had experienced in the past. She appreciated that they weren’t whining and exaggerating their issues, but she worried that they might not divulge the facts if there was a real problem. The blood pressure cuff was the most reliable indicator, and she got a feel for with whom she needed to be really tough, and which patients might respond better to a little joke.
The clinic wrapped up at 1:00 pm, and soon Elan appeared.
“I thought we’d drive into Rio Blanco, maybe some Mexican?”
“Sure, that sounds great. I’m sure it’s a lot more authentic here than in Philly.”
On the drive to town, Elan kept up a running stream of conversation. He talked about cases, about interviewing for a new physician’s assistant, about restaurants in town, about the movie he’d seen the weekend before. Randi began to wonder if he would run out of things to talk about before they even got to the restaurant. She didn’t really think he was a compulsive talker by nature, but for some reason, he was a little nervous. Either way, Randi didn’t have to say very much.
They ordered, and when he was ten minutes into a comparison of enchiladas at different restaurants around town, and a detailed analysis of why he liked these particular ones best, he suddenly stopped and turned red.
“I’m doing it again.”
“Doing what again?” Randi queried.
“Giving you a lot more information than you need about not very interesting things.” He paused. “Apparently I’m turning into some kind of eccentric bachelor. It’s been so long since I’ve talked about anything but work, I don’t even know what to say.”
“Well, you do seem a little…pressured.” Randi smiled gently.
“There’s something else you should know.” Randi waited for the other shoe to drop. She was hoping that Elan didn’t have some secret past like Lee.
“Beautiful women make me nervous.” Elan sipped at his water anxiously.
“I’m going to take that as a compliment.” Randi said with a little laugh. “But I’m not much reason to get nervous—you’ll find that I’m a pretty easy going gal.”
“I guess I’m a little embarrassed that we got off on the wrong foot on Friday. Lozen told me about you bringing in the pregnant woman yesterday—that was a little above and beyond the call of duty.”
“She needed someone to step in. It was bad.” Randi unconsciously touched her split lip.
“Did that hurt much?”
“What? My lip? Not that much.” Randi was dismissive.
Elan awkwardly changed the subject. “So, I was wondering, if maybe you’d like to go for a run together some time? If I don’t run, I g
o completely crazy.”
“You’re not like one of those ultra-marathon runners or anything are you? You know, you here these stories about Native Americans who can run a hundred miles at a go.”
Elan laughed, “I was thinking maybe we could start with a 5k, work our way up from there.”
“I don’t run on pavement, that’s the only thing. It gives me shin splints.”
“No kidding, I mostly trail run.”
Randi nodded, “That would be nice, as long as you promise not to totally smoke me. I haven’t run much in the past few months.”
“You can set the pace.” Elan looked happy, Randi thought.
“You say that now, but wait until you see how slow I am!”
###
The next day after work, Randi and Elan changed into their running gear at the hospital. When Lozen saw them stretching, she shook her head. “You two are making me feel ashamed. I’m just going home to make fry bread.” She pinched her waist. “Thank goodness I run my tail off here.” She waved and continued on to her car.
Elan indicated his car with a tilt of his head, “Let’s go, I’ll drive you to one of my favorite trails. It’s a pretty run and not too hard. A good one to ease you into the routine again.”
They started off on the trail, and once again, Elan supplied a steady stream of observations. He talked about everything from running shoes, to muscle cramps, to protein versus carbs, and Randi found that she was mostly listening. What he had to say was pretty interesting for the most part, and Randi rather liked that she didn’t have to make much effort. It seemed to her that Elan had a lot bottled up, and she was guessing after they got to know each other a little, that he would relax.
True to his word, though, Elan let Randi set the pace, and it felt good to trot along the path as it would through grasslands and woods. Then they popped out of some trees and in front of them was a gorgeous blue lake. Randi slowed down and took a slug from her water bottle.