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"Now, honey, tell us what you want us to do I can stay all day and all night, and there will be several others here as well I suppose half of Liberty knows by now if the telephone operator is her usual self"

I give her the worst job "We are all so tired, can you clean up the blood?" Mrs Miller doesn’t hesitate While the preacher tends the stock and splits loves and a bucket of water and goes right to work, starting in the kitchen and then the stairs and then the Hesters’ bedroo you wouldn’t know that the tidy hoedy

"The baby?" Patience asks, and I know that she’s back Then she notices Danny standing next to her, patting her hand "Oh, Danny Maives me cookies"

Dr Blu the baby and holds her out to her mother, but when Patience reaches out, she drops back in pain

"Don’t sit up yet," I adet started"

"For sure!" Patience smiles, and it’s as if the sun has co, rainy day

February 28, 1935

When Patience abrupted, I was surprised I could still operate, but there wasn’t ed "Save my wife Save our baby!" What else could I do? There’s no way Daniel was able to do it He was tre all over and he didn’t even knohere to cut I’eons have an unspoken rule that we do not operate on our loved onesor our ene Priscilla told me she wanted a divorce I had thirty ot to Martha Jefferson, but I used it, instead, to fuel the fire

Who was this John Teele detail ave strict orders to the staff to let theined Teeleh or a funny story, calling me by my first name as if ere pals "So what do you think of our new elixir, Isaac, have you had a chance to prescribe it?"

Okay, I’ll ade had just exploded and lay in rubble at my feet Was I really that bad of a husband?

Maybe I wasn’tsolitaire, or sleeping, but a physician orks ten hours a day needs a little mindless relaxation, doesn’t he? He needs his sleep tooOkay, I was a selfish jerk

Priscilla used to beg o into Charlottesville, to eat at a nice restaurant or see a picture show, but I was too tired, too edgy I craved peace and quiet Maybe I deserved to be du lot of the hospital, I pulled ainst the sleet, took a few deep breaths, and cut through the eency room A few minutes later, I walked into the OR as if all was routine