served in Korea, on the front. Made it to captain.
“Really,” I said.
“Uh-huh. Because of her I tried out the service, too. Boy, this is
really taking me back a few years.”
“You were in the army?”
She gave a half-smile, as if expecting my surprise. “Strange for a
girl, huh? It happened in my senior year in high school. The
recruiter came out on careers day and made it sound pretty
attractive-job training, scholarships. Aunt Harriet thought it would
be a good idea, too, so that clinched it.”
“How long were you in?”
“Just a few months.” Her hands worked her braid. A few months after I
arrived I got sick and had to be discharged early.”
“Sorry to hear that,” I said. “Must have been serious.”
She looked up. Blushing deeply. Yanking the braid.
“It was,” she said. “Influenza-real bad flu-that developed into
pneumonia. Acute viral pneumonia-there was a terrible epidemic in the
barracks. Lots of girls got sick. After I recovered, they said my
lungs might be weakened and they didn’t want me in anymore.” Shrug.
“So that was it. My famous military career.”
“Was it a big disappointment?”
“No, not really. Everything worked out for the best.” She looked
atCassie.
“Where were you stationed?”
“Fort Jackson. Down in South Carolina. It was one of the few places
they trained only women. It was the summer-you don’t think of
pneumonia in the summer, but a germ’s a germ, right?”
“True.”
“It was really humid. You could shower and feel dirty two seconds
later. I wasn’t used to it.”
“Did you grow up in California?”
“California native,” she said, waving an imaginary flag. “Ventura. My
family came out from Oklahoma originally. Gold Rush days. One of my
great-grandmothers was part Indian-according to my aunt, that’s where
the hair comes from.”
She hefted the braid, then dropped it.
“Course, it’s probably not true,” she said, smiling. “Everyone wants
to be Indian now. It’s kind of fashionable.” She looked at me:
“Delaware. With that name you could be part Indian too.”
“There’s a family myth that says so-one third of one
greatgreat-grandfather. I guess what I am is a mongrel-little bit of
everything.”
“Well, good for you. That makes you all-American, doesn’t it?”
“Guess so,” I said, smiling. “Was Chip ever in the service?”
“Chip?” The idea seemed to amuse her. “No.”
“How’d the two of you meet?”
At college. I did a year at WVCC, after R.T. school. Took Soc
One-oh-one and he was my teacher.”
Another look at Cassie. Still busy with the house. “Do you want to do
your techniques now?”
“It’s still a little soon,” I said. “I want her to really trust me.”
“Well. . .I think she does. She loves your drawings-we saved all the
ones she didn’t destroy.”
I smiled. “It’s still best to take it slow. And if she’s not having
any procedures, there’s no need to rush.”
“True,” she said. “For all that’s happening here, I guess we could go
home right now.”
“Do you want to?”
“I always want to. But what I really want is for her to get bette’:”
Cassie glanced over and Cindy lowered her voice to a whisper again:
“Those seizures really scared me, Dr. Delaware. It was like. . “She
shook her head.
“Like what?”
“Like something out of a movie. This is terrible to say, but it
reminded me of The Exorcist.” She shook her head. “I’m sure Dr. Eves
will get to the bottom of whatever’s going on, eventually. Right?
She said we should stay at least one more night, maybe two, for
observation. It’s probably for the best, anyway. Cassie’s always so
healthy here.”
Her eyes moistened.
“Once you do go home,” I said, “I’d like to come out and visit.”
“Oh, sure. . “Unasked questions flooded her face.
“In order to keep working on the rapport,” I said. “lfI can get Cassie
totally comfortable with me when she’s not having procedures, I’ll be
in a better position to help her when she does need me.”
“Sure. That makes sense. Thank you, that’s very kind. I didn’t know
doctors still made house calls.”
“Once in a while. We call them home visits now.”