Paul and Vanni exchanged shocked looks, then turned those very expressions back to Cameron. “Jesus, Cameron, I’m sorry,” Paul said. “I guess you’d have no way of knowing—Doc Mullins died a little over a month ago.”
“What?” Cameron asked, surprised. “What happened?”
Paul shrugged. “Not entirely sure. Mel found him facedown on the clinic floor and tried to revive him with CPR, but he never came around. The new baby, little Emma, was lying on the floor right next to him, like maybe he’d been holding her when he had a heart attack or something.”
“Aw, Jesus,” Cameron said. “That’s awful. Emma?”
“Fine. Thank God.”
“How’s the town holding up?”
“Kinda shaky,” Paul said. “Mel’s doing her best at the clinic. Vanni’s cousin Shelby has been visiting for a while now and she’s going in to the clinic every day to help out with the kids, patients and paperwork. Docs Stone and Hudson from Grace Valley are taking the patients Mel can’t cover. But just going through Doc’s stuff—over forty years’ worth—has really taken its toll on Mel. She’s grieving and overworked—and little Emma is barely six months.”
“At least she’s got Shelby. For now,” Vanessa said. “But Shelby is just visiting. She was planning to leave after the holidays. God, Cameron, I’m sorry we didn’t think to call you.”
“Why would you, Vanni?” Cameron said. “I met the man once, talked with him for less than an hour. I got a big kick out of him in that short time and it was obvious he was a crackerjack small-town doc who cared about his people. Besides you two, we didn’t have any mutual friends. But damn, that’s a great loss for Virgin River.” Matt had drifted off in his arms and was breathing well, coughing less with the oxygen. “I’m so sorry to hear about it.”
“Mel has advertised for a new doctor for the town, but who’d want to come to a town that size? I have no idea what the pay is—I guess it’s whatever you get. I know Mel and Jack put a lot of produce, wine and meat in the bar from patients paying with what they get off the land.”
Cameron chuckled. “Sounds kind of nice, actually. It’s gotta beat wrangling with the insurance companies.”
Paul laughed. “That’s not a problem in Virgin River. Not many folks have medical coverage.”
Cameron put the stethoscope in his ears and listened
briefly to Matt’s chest. “That’s a little better,” he said. He held the baby a while longer. “Please give my condolences to Mel,” he said. His eyes focused on the baby, he said, “Doc was a little snarly, but I bet he had a heart of gold.” Then he looked up at Vanessa and Paul and gave a little smile. “How are you two getting along?”
“Good,” Paul said. “I’m building in Virgin River. I’ve got a house under construction for Vanni in addition to a couple of other properties.” He kissed her temple. “I think Vanni can convince you she didn’t make a big mistake on me.”
She smiled at Paul, confirming that she was happy. “We’re still living with Dad,” she said. “But the house will be ready before Christmas—and it’s on Dad’s land so we’ll be close, but not too close.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“We’re starting to think about the next baby,” she said.
“You should. Get ’em while you can,” Cameron said.
“Paige delivered last summer, a little girl. Brie’s due around Christmas.”
“They just keep coming,” Cameron said, shaking his head with a chuckle.
“I’ve heard Virgin River is a fertile place,” Vanni said, laughing.
“You fish, Cameron?” Paul asked.
“I haven’t done much but doctor in a long time,” he said.
“Come on down and fish,” Paul invited. “Take a couple of days. I’ll take you out to the Virgin. The salmon are starting to run. The sturgeons fat.”
“Sounds nice. You fishing a lot?” Cameron asked.
“Nah. I’ve got houses going. But if you come down, I’ll knock off for a couple mornings—I have good supervisors now. Or I’ll send Jack out there with you. Jack loves any excuse to get out on the river.”
“I’ll think about that,” he said. He pulled the cannulas out of the baby’s nose. “Okay, now hear me on this, Vanessa. No matter how much he fusses, only clear liquids. If we don’t treat the diarrhea along with the upper-respiratory problems, he’ll dehydrate. And get in the steam, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, taking the baby from him. “What do we owe you?”
“Come on.” Cameron laughed. “How about a day out on the river?”
“Deal,” Paul said, smiling. He stuck out his hand. “You came in real handy, buddy. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate this.”
“I’m glad you called me. This little guy needs to feel better.”
Cameron Michaels didn’t call anyone in Virgin River. He had three days off and just drove down. He went first to the clinic, walked in and found Mel at the computer. “Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” she returned, standing up from the desk. “What brings you down here?”
“I don’t know if Paul or Vanni mentioned, I just heard about Doc. I had a few days off and wanted to deliver my condolences in person.”
“Thanks. He’s a hard one to lose.”
“How’s your search for a new doctor coming?” he asked.
“No response,” she said with a shrug. “But that’s not a surprise—we barely started looking. Plus, Hope’s been looking for a doctor to help Doc for years and no one ever responded. I was the closest thing and honestly, if I hadn’t had special circumstances, I might not have considered Virgin River, either.”
“Can I ask—about the special circumstances?”
“Sure,” she said. “How about a cup of coffee?”
“That’d be great,” he said with a smile.
“Sit tight, I’ll be right back.”
Shelby was in the kitchen, sitting at the table sorting some paperwork while the kids slept—one in a playpen, one in a portable crib. Mel poured coffee and invited Shelby to join them in Doc’s office so as not to wake the children. Once there, she introduced them, and Cameron expressed his condolences again.
“I’ve been boring Shelby with stories from my years in L.A.,” Mel said. “I was widowed when I met Jack. My husband was an E.R. doctor. We worked together for years before he was killed. I was looking for a new start, out of L.A. I found Virgin River at the nurses’ registry where I’d placed my résumé. I came here, sight unseen.”
“And found it perfect for you?” Cameron asked.
“Far from it,” she said. “The town was misrepresented, the pay miserable, the cabin that was to be my rent-free home was a falling-down hovel—but just as I was running for my life, a baby was abandoned on Doc’s porch and I stayed a while.” She shrugged. “I became attached in no time. Then I fell in love with Jack. Now I’m committed. Medicine here is a whole new scene from what I was used to in the city. It’s like taking care of family. These people are my friends. And of course, if Jack is here, I’m here.”
“But what’s it like doctoring here?” Cameron asked.
“We have to be inventive and flexible. Boy,” she said, laughing, “we could sure use a pediatrician, couldn’t we, Shelby?”
“Boy howdie, as Mel would say. The babies are flowing into this town.”
“I don’t like our chances of getting a new doctor, and I’ll be honest—I lose a lot of sleep over that. I don’t want to be their only resource if something big happens, like a bad MVA,” Mel said. “Sorry, Shelby,” she said. “That’s a motor vehicle accident.” Looking back at Cameron, she said, “Or some hunting accident. But this is no place for a doctor to prosper financially. A lot of our patient fees come from services and produce from ranches, farms and vineyards. More food than I could ever eat, less cash than it takes to get by. I’ve written a grant proposal to cover malpractice insurance. The county is covering mine—they see the merits of having a certified midwife around here. And if you can believe it, Doc was never covered. Never sued, never covered. He always figured if someone got pissed off and put him out of business, so be it.” She shrugged. “I’m hopeful that if a physician can be found, the county will step up. I’ve been contacting medical schools—offering a place for a brand-new family-practice resident to practice rural medicine—he or she could intern here under John Stone or June Hudson. If you know anyone…”
“I might,” he said. “I’ll talk it around.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do when I lose Shelby.”
Cameron looked at the younger woman.
“I’m here temporarily,” Shelby said. “I cared for my mother who suffered from ALS for a long time and now, before I move on to my own nursing college, I’m staying with my Uncle Walt.”
“Walt Booth?” he asked.
“Uh-huh. I’m Vanni’s cousin.”
“From Bodega Bay,” he said. “Yeah, your name was mentioned.”
“No kidding? You know them?”
“I was introduced,” he said simply. “Nice people.”
“I can help Mel for a while longer, but I’ve been sending out my applications. Nursing is kind of a natural progression for me, given my years as a caregiver. It’s going to be hard,” she said. “I’ve been out of school and work for years.”
“But what you have done is extraordinary,” Mel said, grabbing her hand.
“Good luck with that,” Cam said. “So Mel—how are you getting by now? With the patients?”
“Right now, I send a lot of them to Grace Valley and sometimes either June Hudson or John Stone will spend a half day up here, taking patients,” Mel said.
“This is a helluva nice place to live,” he said.
“Yeah, it’s gorgeous. But a person has to make a living. What are you doing here, besides offering condolences?”
“Aw, Paul and Vanni had a sick baby while they were in Grants Pass and Paul offered me a day on the river as payment for my services. Problem is, I didn’t tell them I was coming, so I’m not going to hold him to it. I thought I’d see how you’re doing and make a house call.”
“I heard about Mattie’s croup,” she said.
“Fortunately, he did well on antibiotics, snapped right out of it. Any chance I could get a tour of your clinic?” he asked.
“You bet. It’s a pretty functional little place,” Mel said with a touch of pride. She stood up. “Right this way, Doctor.” The first thing she did was open the refrigerator and show him that they kept as much blood and plasma on hand as food, something he seemed to get a kick out of. Shelby returned to her paperwork in the kitchen while Mel showed Cameron the exam room and the treatment room. In Doc’s old office there were some boxes stacked in the corner. “Personal items of Doc’s,” she said. “I’m sending that stuff back to his college library. Come on upstairs.”
She showed him the only hospital room in town, the roomy bathroom and Doc’s old bedroom, completely vacant and freshly painted. “Doc’s furniture was almost as old as he was,” she said. “I gave it away and will buy new. If we don’t get a doctor, it’ll make a decent place for me to sleep when we have a delivery here.”
“Nice little operation,” Cameron said. “But how do you make ends meet?”
“Oh, it’s not too hard for me. Jack has income—he’s retired military and the bar won’t make us rich, but it brings in money. I have savings and no longer draw a salary. The clinic is mine now, thanks to Doc’s generosity in his trust. It’s free and clear. The uninsured patients are almost always able to cover the cost of lab work, X-rays and drugs, and then we get a twenty-dollar bill here and there. Patients on subsistence—welfare or Medicaid—their fees are paid. People around here are very grateful and they do their best—there’s often cash in the Christmas card. The most important thing is we never lose money. And all the equipment is paid for. In fact, once Jack had the bar open, he gave Doc almost all his meals. Jack does that—the forest-fire fighters, the police, the game warden or rangers, Jack serves them for free when they’ve been working here. The sheriff’s deputy and his boys drop by for a gratis meal now and then. We have a highway patrolman who visits. Anyone who serves the needs of the town gets served by Jack and Preacher.”
Cameron laughed and shook his head. “How can they afford to do that?”
Mel grinned. “When the patients bring in produce as patient fees, it goes straight to Preacher’s kitchen where we eat it later. The people in town don’t just bring stuff when they’re sick—they bring what they can spare con
tinually, sort of like keeping us on retainer. A bushel of apples, several quarts of berries, huge sack of tomatoes, bushel of green beans… Preacher bakes and cans and freezes and loves every second of it. A big patient fee could be as much as a half calf. Or a few months of cream. And besides, Jack has everything he needs, Cameron.” Then she got a little more serious. “The first night I landed in this town, I saw Jack as the owner of a bar and restaurant. It didn’t take me long to learn he’s so much more than that. He does a little of everything, from car and truck repair to building. He never goes for supplies without checking with a half-dozen little old ladies or postpartum mothers to see what they need. And if I’m delivering a baby—Jack is up all night, in case I need something. I hate that he hunts, but when he hunts, we enjoy some of the best venison dishes you can imagine. And most of the fish served in the bar, he and Preacher and maybe even Mike catch in the river. It all evens out.” She shrugged. “This is a very simple place, Cameron. Sometimes if feels more like a commune than a town. But Jack… Ask anyone— Jack is at the center of this town, taking care of the people here.”
He smiled. “I bet if I ask, they’ll say you are, too.”
“I do my best. The women—they’re my specialty.”
“Didn’t take you long to fall in love with the place.”
“It’s rewarding,” she said. “I took home a pretty nice paycheck from the hospital in L.A., and I had some very challenging work there, but L.A. is a damn expensive place to live. I’m not sure I was further ahead with that big salary. As long as the clinic can feed me and cover the cost of my gas, it doesn’t need to provide me with much else. And I feel a lot better about what I’m doing here. These people really need me.”
He just looked at her for a moment, silent. “You’ve found your niche,” he said.
“I have. I have everything.” Then she laughed. “Except a doctor. I could sure use a doctor. It’s a small town, but we need medical service.”
“I think maybe I envy you.”
“I’m not surprised.” She smiled. “It’s a different kind of life.”