A large swollen toe protruded from the bare foot that balanced precariously on the bar stool. Jamie put down his pint of Guinness and looked up from the foot to the face of its owner.
“What do you think it is Doctor?” Eugene asked.
“It looks like a toe to me Eugene,” Jamie said smiling.
“It hurts like fecking hell, what can you do for me?”
“Come to the surgery in the morning and I’ll clip that talon of a toe nail and give you some anti-biotic cream. How does that sound?”
“That sounds just the job Doctor thank you,” Eugene took his foot down and put his sock back on.
“Oh and Eugene,” Jamie said.
“Yes doctor.”
“Wash both feet well before you come and see me.”
Jamie continued his pint but pushed his pork scratchings to one side, having lost his appetite suddenly. He smiled at the daily quaint and quirky experiences he was having in this remotest part of South West Ireland. The locum position was for six months and Jamie would think carefully about where next. He felt like a fugitive and he suspected he was if Oliver was right. With some distance between Minnie’s death and the break up of the team, Jamie had wondered if Oliver had crossed swords with dodgy business men or even organised gangs. As real as the regression seemed, assassins from the future didn’t compute he had decided.
Jamie had rented a fantastic cottage on the beach at Ballybunion, hired a modest car and adopted a low profile. He had unsurprisingly secured the affection of a flame haired young woman, whose accompanying temper kept him amused.
Jamie struggled with the notion he should never contact Oliver or Mary again, or even Minnie’s parents. He felt taking a scalpel to their friendship was too severe and he ruminated on ways to establish discrete contact with them. He did not want to live a life with an ever fading memory of the best friendships he had ever had. Nor contemplate never having a companion he could remember Minnie with.
Between the four friends as weeks passed without incident they started to look to the future. Oliver believed he and Jenny could establish a loving life together, a simple one with limited expectation beyond the day to day. Mary knew she could establish a successful career and build a home with children. Jamie knew his wealth allowed him infinite choices. His main regret was that they had parted on bad terms. Mary had never spoken to Oliver again since the funeral.
38.
Tempus Genesis Page 56