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Preview of Stamina

“Needs a doctor, Ward, now,” Dickey stressed. “She’s bleeding, bullet’s still in her. You’re hit, too.”

“- - Closest hospital’s Elizabeth City,” Ward moaned through his anguish. “How much time do we have?”

“I’m a mechanic, not a medic,” Dickie snapped. “But ain’t hard to see Nora’s wound is bad and yours ain’t good.”

“Got a doc living just up the road,” Bubba stated. “Retired, but he’ll help us. Let’s go.”

“You two take her. I’ll bury the Virginia trooper that shot them. Got a shovel in those sheds?”

Shell-shocked, Ward didn’t answer. Bubba did.

“Yeah, shovel and pick axe. Help me get her in my truck. Ward’s is blocked in by the trooper’s car.”

They carried Nora to Bubba’s pickup, put Ward in beside her. Bubba squeezed his 250 pounds into the driver’s seat. Dickie shouted through the open window.

“I’ll bury him, hide his car in this patch of woods, wait for ya’ll to get back to help me haul it off. Now, get!”

The big man threw his 1919 Dodge Brothers truck into reverse, hastened backwards a dozen yards on a rutted wagon path, and escaped the modest copse. He swung to get onto Nora and Ward’s long dirt drive, facing away from the house. Twenty yards later he turned right onto the unpaved but main road to Tar Corner and goosed his 14-year-old vehicle for all it had.

Soon, they wheeled onto another lane and puttered to a seventyish man working his garden. The elderly doctor rose to help Bubba get a bloodied couple, the lady barely conscious, to a room inside that had been his medical office.

They placed Nora on a table. Doc began his task.

“You’re the Mitchell boy, right?”

“Yes sir. Folks call me Bubba.”

“Who’re these folks? What are we dealing with?”

“Nora and Ward Allen. Virginia trooper shot her in the chest and him in the back. Thank God I was nearby.”

“Hand me those tong-looking things, then get us some towels out of that cabinet. Mr. Allen, your wife will take me a few minutes. Your pain manageable?”

“Yes sir. Nora’s the priority.”

Still keenly focused on Nora, Doc kept chattering.

“You don’t talk like us hicks, Ward. Hope you don’t mind me calling you Ward. Bubba, that brown bottle, need it and a towel - - two towels.”

“We just bought the old Myers place,” Ward said.

“Uh huh. Bubba! See how I’m stretching this apart with my hands? Do that for me while I use my scalpel. You’re not squeamish, are you?”

“Reckon I can’t be. Hold it like this?”

“Yeah. Hold still - - Keep holding, I’m going in.”

Bubba held his post, but looked away while doc dug out the bullet. The old medic was unfazed, kept right on chatting.

“Pleased to have you as neighbors, Ward, but I’d appreciate it if your calls were just sociable. I’m not in the doctoring business any more, and would rather just chat over some iced tea. Hope that doesn’t offend you.”

“Not at all. I appreciate this very much, sir.”

Doc’s next few tasks must have been quite intricate, as not even he talked. His tongue poked against his right cheek as he worked. Finally, it was evidently wrap-up time.

“OK, Bubba, good job. These next steps I’ll only need one of your big fingers where I tell you while I sew and tie, that kind of stuff. You doing OK?”

“- - uh - - yeah - - I guess.”

“Tell me about your crops. What’d you plant this year and how’re they doing?”

He got Bubba focused on his corn until he finished.

“OK. Nora is finished. Let’s check Ward.”

His wound was a notch above superficial. The bullet went through the tip of his shoulder, cleanly. Doc finished, then grew somber, angry, sat the men down, scowling.

“Bubba, you’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

The big man’s head dropped as he nodded.

“And what’d I tell you?”

“You don’t doctor no more. Wouldn’t treat my son.”

“That’s right, because if I practice medicine again, I’ll get in a lot of trouble. I could see that your boy’s arm wouldn’t change during a careful drive to the hospital.”

He glared at Bubba a moment then went on.

“You put me on the spot today and I don’t like it! I took a big chance that Ward won’t want anyone to know why he and his wife got shot any more than I’d want anyone to know that I doctored you,” he growled. “And I damn well better not hear about this from anybody, you got that?”

“Yes sir,” they both affirmed.

The doctor softened slightly, but pointed his finger alternately at Ward and Bubba. “You say a word to anyone and so help me, I’ll cut the nuts off both of you. Now you got me in another spot. Nora needs to be seen to make sure she’s healing alright and I can’t have you taking her to a licensed, practicing doctor. They’ll figure out I treated her.”

Huffing, anger having risen again, he took a moment to cool off. He sat, put his palms on his knees, and spoke.

“Here’s what we’ll do. Ward, she’s to rest in bed; period; rest! Feed her soft foods. I’m going to come to your place for a social call in two days to change the bandages. Then I’ll drop by a couple more times to make sure she’s healing. You set up a checker board or something in the front room and if anyone else drops by while I’m there, I only come over because we both like checkers - - got that?”

“Yes sir.”

“Don’t take her anywhere. When she needs the privy, walk her there gently and stay with her. Better yet, get a bucket for her room. Make sure she has plenty of water. You got something if her pain gets bad, some hootch? I can’t give you a prescription.”

“I’ll get some bootleg.”

“Don’t turn her into a drunk, but don’t let her suffer so’s she can’t sleep. If she gets worse come get me, unless you have a telephone.”

“No, I don’t.”

“I didn’t figure you did. You’re going to be doing some serious nursing and Nora’s not going to be doing a damn thing. Can you remember that?”

“Yes sir.”

He turned to Bubba, finger pointed, snarling.

“You knew I’d see how serious they were and wouldn’t turn them away. Don’t you do this to me again.”

He let that marinate several seconds. In the silence, a woman’s voice, barely a whisper, was heard.

“Thank you, doctor.”

The room thawed instantly. Doc rushed to Nora and spoke a while. Then they loaded her into the truck and Bubba tenderly drove them home.

They had forgotten about Dickey.

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