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Scrunching her eyes into slits, Erin thought for a minute. She finally said,  I
like being part of the community, and I get to see all kinds of issues. Not that
most of them are very unique&  she said, trailing off. Another minute of silence
followed, with Katie looking at her carefully.  People rely on me. That can be
nice, but it also puts a lot of pressure on me. She shrugged.  I get to spend a lot
of time with my mom.
 And she s your best friend.
Bristling, Erin said,  I m not ashamed to be close to my mom.
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Susan X Meagher
 You shouldn t be, but you could be close to her and work in Nashua or
Manchester or even Boston.
 Yeah, I could have, but the town needs me. It s really hard to find a doctor
for a town this small. There s not much money here, and most doctors want to
specialize. That s where you can make some real cash.
 What s the worst thing about your job?
 Oh, that s easy. Watching someone you can t help slowly deteriorate, knowing
you re going to lose them. That s the worst. By far.
 But isn t that the point of small-town medicine? It s a birth-to-death kind of
thing, isn t it? Being there for people as they breathe their last?
 I hate that part, Erin said, looking at the floor.  I truly hate it.
 What part do you like?
Erin grinned guiltily.  Honestly? The best days I ve had have been accidents.
Cars, threshers, combines, people falling off ladders. When someone comes
running into my office, dripping blood, I get that adrenaline burst I had when I
was doing my rotation in the emergency room. I never knew what would happen
next. She sighed happily and relaxed into her chair.
 Are you sure you ve thought this through? You don t get too many accident
victims, do you?
Erin laughed hard, her dark eyes nearly closing.  I m gonna buy Darrell a
faster van.
 I m serious, Erin.
 I know you are. And to be honest, I d like a more exciting life, but you can t
have everything. I m just going to have to figure out how to add some excitement
here. I don t want to leave my mom.
 Would she mind if you left?
Looking sheepish, Erin said,  Probably not. I didn t say it made sense, but
that s why I came home. It seemed like the right thing to do when it came to
making my decision.
 Do you still think it was the right thing? Katie was staring at her so intently
that Erin was thankful she d never be on the other side of a court case from
her.
Feeling terribly uncomfortable, Erin held up her hands.  I m not sure. Things
were really good at first, but now&  She looked at Katie, seeing sympathy and
understanding in her gaze, even though Erin wasn t at all sure her situation
demanded sympathy.
 You didn t plan on your mom getting involved with someone, did you?
 No, I didn t. For the first time since Dan had appeared, Erin felt like crying
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The Lies That Bind
about the whole situation. The warmth in Katie s eyes made Erin feel, for just a
moment, as if she could pour everything out. Tell her how lonely she was. How
hard it was to be a young professional in a blue-collar town. Tell her how she
doubted she d ever find a partner here. Most of all, ask her if she d mind if Erin
called her once in a while just to have someone she could vent to. But she
didn t, and Katie didn t continue her line of questioning.
Katie gazed at her for another minute and then gentled her voice, asking,  Do
you mind if I ask about your dad?
 No. Erin s body language closed immediately. She drew her arms across her
chest and crossed her legs. Her head even dropped a little, and she looked at
Katie through hooded eyes.  What do you want to know?
 How long has he been dead?
 He died when I was twelve.
 Ow. Katie made a face.  You were so young. Was he sick?
 No. He was teaching my brother how to drive, and they were hit by a truck
that skidded on the ice.
Katie s eyes widened, and she blanched.  And your brother?
 They both died. My dad died that day, and my brother died the next. She
blinked a few times and added,  I m not sure about my dad, but my brother
would have lived if he d gotten to a trauma center faster.
 Oh, damn, Erin. That must have been horrific.
 It was. She nodded slowly, looking almost confused. Her visage brightened
when she said,  But it made me and my mom much closer, and that s been really
nice.
 Did your mom ask you to stay here to practice?
 Oh, no. She never expressed an opinion about that. She wants me to do what
makes me happy.
 Interesting, Katie said, nodding.
 Hey, when did this become a cross-examination?
 Common rookie error. When I question you as my witness, that s a direct
examination. Cross is when the opposing side questions you.
 Thank you for clearing that up. What s it called when you avoid my [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]