Chapter 27

twenty-seven

JACOB

I checked the piece of paper Pastor Adam had given me. If I’d followed the directions correctly, Doc Martin’s consultation rooms were in the old building in front of me. With its red-brick exterior and large front window, it could have easily been another retail store on Main Street.

The bright yellow front door was wide open, so I stepped inside. A bell interrupted the relative calm of the waiting room.

Jenny, the owner of the general store, looked up from the magazine she was reading. “Hi, Jacob. Doc Martin won’t be long.”

“Are you waiting to see him?”

“I am, but not as a patient. I’m hoping to convince him to stay in Sunrise Bay a little longer.” She placed the magazine on the table beside her and sighed. “I talked to Pastor Adam yesterday. He told me about what you did for Jesse. Thank you.”

“It was good to be able to help. When’s Doc Martin retiring?”

“As soon I can find a replacement,” a deep voice said from the other side of the room.

I turned around. Doc Martin must be in his seventies. With thinning gray hair and an easy smile, he’d be a welcome sight in a town struggling to provide any medical services.

Holding out my hand, I stepped toward him. “Hi. I’m Jacob Hilary. It’s good to meet you.”

Doc Martin pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Are you the doctor Pastor Adam was telling me about?”

My eyebrows rose. “It depends. What did he say?”

“Nothing you need to worry about. I take it you’re here to look around my surgery?”

Jenny looked bemusedly at the two of us. “Does this mean my mission to find a doctor is over?”

I took a deep breath. Staying here was a big commitment. But for my sake and Andrew’s, I’d do everything I could to make it happen. “I still need to sort out a few things but, in the meantime, I’m happy to help.”

“Thank goodness,” Jenny said. “It’ll make a huge difference knowing you’re here while we’re petitioning the county for more health services.”

Doc Martin shook my hand. “You won’t regret your decision. After I’ve shown you around, I’ll talk to the clinical director in Boulder. If they want you to provide medical services in Sunrise Bay, they’ll put together an employment package. If you still want to work here after you’ve seen the contract, we’ll talk about a handover process.”

“That sounds like a good plan to me.”

Jenny picked up her coat and bag, and smiled at me. “Would you mind if I told Pastor Adam you could be our next doctor?”

“Just make sure he realizes there’s a lot of work to do before it’s official.”

“I will. But for what it’s worth, you’ll enjoy living here.”

I hoped so. Until now, I’d been a nomad, moving from one humanitarian crisis to another.

Living in Sunrise Bay could either be the making of me or create even more issues.