Read Cedar Woman Online

Authors: Debra Shiveley Welch

Cedar Woman (29 page)

I
am
sorr
y
,
bu
t
t
h
at’s
all
I
can
tell
y
ou
n
o
w.
Why
d
o
n

t
y
ou
go ho
m
e
and
get
so
m
e
res
t
?

M
ary
n
od
d
ed,
eyes
w
i
de
w
i
th
di
s
b
elief
a
nd so
r
r
o
w.
Dr.
G
affin
hesitated
f
o
r
a
m
o
m
ent.
He
was
a
y
o
u
ng
doc
t
o
r
,
a
n
d new
at
giv
i
ng
bad
n
e
ws.
It
was
at
ti
m
es
like
t
h
is
t
h
at
he
was
at
a
l
o
ss
a
s to
h
o
w to
g
i
ve c
o
m
f
o
rt.
No
o
n
e i
n
v
o
l
v
ed
co
u
l
d
pre
d
ict
ho
w
well Mr. Catcher
w
o
uld
i
n
evitably
r
e
cov
e
r
fr
o
m his
d
e
vastating
i
n
j
u
ries.
Dr
. Ga
f
fin
began
t
o
rise, re
s
u
m
ed
his
seat,
a
nd
a
g
ain
t
o
o
k
M
a
ry
’s
s
m
all
hand in
hi
s
.

 

 


Mrs.
Catcher,”
he
said
soft
l
y
.
Mary
slowly
return
e
d
h
e
r
gaze
to
h
is.

M
rs.
Catc
h
er,
p
lease
t
ry
to
re
m
e
m
b
er,
t
h
is
is
a
marath
o
n
,
n
o
t
a s
p
r
i
n
t.
It will
ta
k
e
ti
m
e,
bu
t d
u
r
i
n
g
t
h
at
ti
m
e
,
e
v
eryt
h
ing
t
h
at
can
b
e d
on
e for
y
o
ur
h
u
s
b
a
n
d,
will
b
e
do
n
e.”
Dr.
Gaffin
rel
u
cta
n
tly
released
Mary’s
h
a
n
d
,
an
d
r
isin
g
slo
w
ly
, a
l
o
o
k
o
f
r
e
g
r
e
t
a
n
d
g
r
ie
f
u
p
o
n
h
i
s
y
o
u
n
g
,
ti
r
ed
face,
quietly l
e
ft the
roo
m
.

 

 

Lena
aw
oke
wit
h
h
e
r head
i
n Dea
n
’s
la
p.
D
ean’s he
a
d
l
ay back, h
i
s
m
outh
op
e
n,
a
light
s
n
or
i
ng
issui
n
g
f
rom
his
t
h
roat.
Lena
straight
e
n
e
d a
n
d
l
o
o
k
ed
ar
o
und
t
h
e
I
n
tensi
v
e
Ca
r
e
wai
t
ing
ro
o
m
.
Where
was
I
n
a
?
Alar
m
ed,
Le
n
a
ju
m
p
ed
up
and
l
o
o
k
e
d
around.
She
s
a
w
a
door
with
I
n
te
n
si
v
e Care
p
r
i
n
ted on
it, a
n
d
m
ov
i
n
g slowly, pressed
t
h
e d
o
or o
p
en.
A
g
r
o
u
p
o
f
n
ur
ses
sat
at des
k
s
w
it
h
m
on
it
o
r
s,
a
n
d
w
h
at
ap
pear
e
d
t
o be
T
Vs,
scat
t
e
r
ed
a
ro
u
n
d
t
h
e r
o
o
m
.
Ind
i
v
id
u
al
g
l
as
s
-enc
l
o
sed b
o
o
t
h
s
,
o
r cells,
li
n
ed
t
w
o
s
i
d
es
o
f
t
h
e
r
oo
m
.
W
a
l
k
i
n
g
slowly,
Le
n
a
p
eered
i
n
to
each
e
n
closure
until she spotted
her
m
o
ther’s sh
i
n
ing
head.
Lea
n
ing
ov
e
r
h
er h
u
s
b
an
d
’s still
f
o
r
m
,
cl
ut
c
h
ing
h
i
s
h
a
n
d
in
h
e
r’s,
M
ar
y
’s
hair
a
ppe
a
r
e
d
to
f
l
o
at
u
p
on
t
h
e
air.
S
u
r
ro
u
n
d
i
ng her was
a ni
m
bus
o
f
wh
i
te
light,
b
u
t
P
e
ter’s
f
o
rm
was
d
a
r
k
.
Lena
h
eard
o
n
ly
o
n
e
h
ear
t
b
eat…or
was it two n
o
w f
u
sed to
g
et
h
er as
on
e
?

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