Page 8 of Max Bannon

“I know that. I wanted to help you. You don’t have your shoes on,” Max volunteered.

“Oh no, I left my shoes in there.”

“I have them,” Fraiser said, watching us.

“Thank you, Fraiser. Sometimes I misplace things.”

“You didn’t misplace them. I picked them up for you.”

“Thank you,” I said, wiping my face off with the edge of my gown, completely forgetting that I was in a hospital gown. My face turned red, and I looked down; my legs were there for the world to see, all the way to the rim of my panties. It didn’t take long for us to reach the B&B. I could smell food cooking. “That smells so good. I’m going to take a quick shower, and I’ll be right back,” I said, running up the stairs.

5

Max

Thirty minutes later, Tessa walked into the kitchen, smiling. She went straight to Eloise and hugged her.

“I’m so happy to meet you. I’m so sorry about your friend Mable. Losing someone like that… It’s painful. If you need anything, all you have to do is ask.”

“Oh, I didn’t lose her like that. She went with her daughter and her family, and they lost her at Disney World. Mable is as healthy as a moose,” Eloise said.

“Eloise, this is Tessa Swindle,” I said. “Tessa, meet Eloise Raider.”

“Hello, Eloise,” Tessa said warmly, “sorry for the confusion.”

“Tessa, how do you feel?” Eloise asked.

“I feel pretty good. I probably don’t look it, but I’m alright—just starving. And something smellsamazing.”

“Then let’s eat,” I said, motioning toward the food. Everyone started filling their plates.

“So, you’re a veterinarian?” Tessa asked.

“Yep. Not officially yet here. I’ll be opening the clinic soon,” Eloise replied. “How long have you been a teacher?”

“This is actually my first job as a teacher,” Tessa said. We all looked at her in surprise. “I’m a scientist. And a surgeon... or Iwas. I stopped doing that.”

“What kind of surgeon?” Frasier asked.

“I studied the brain. My specialty was neurosurgery. But I quit.”

“You’re a brain surgeon?” I asked, blinking. I liked it better when she was a schoolteacher.

“I’m still me,” she said, shrugging. “Right now, I want to teach. I wouldn’t have taken this job otherwise.”

“But instead of being in a big city, curing brain cancer, you’re here on a mountain in the middle of Montana. Are you sure you won’t get bored and leave?”

“Nope. I never get bored. I still study on my computer when I want to. I won’t be leaving, Max. I’m here to stay.”

I didn’t mean to look skeptical, but I must’ve, because she added, “Max, you’ve seen what I’m dealing with. It’s getting worse. I can’t do surgery like this. What if I left something inside a patient?”

“How old were you when you finished school?” Eloise asked, clearly impressed.

“I skipped high school and went straight to college. I finished my degree by twenty-one and worked at Cedars-Sinai.”

“Whoa,” Frasier said. “That’s big time. You have to be brilliant to work there.”

“I know about brains. That doesn’t mean I know how to survive a swarm of bees,” she said with a little laugh. “You guys are Navy SEALS. That’s your thing. We all have our own purpose. That’s why we’re different.”

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