Page 57 of Heart of the West

“Besides cooking meals. I thought we’d have a candy and cookie making party. I got all the supplies yesterday but I haven’t had time to make the fondant for your cherries.”

“You were going to make my favorite candy?” Maya says, her hand over her heart.

“I heard you tell Jessi how much you loved them. I have the molds.”

“If you can walk me through making the fondant. Oh hell who am I kidding. Walk me through the whole thing. I’ll be your hands.”

I laugh. “I’m not an invalid just a little green around the gills.”

“After you got knocked around yesterday Maya and I were going to offer to take over cooking for the day, anyway.” Xavier offers. “Plus I need to show Clyde my cooking skills.

I laugh. “I’ll leave the food in your capable hands.”

Xavier lights up. “Dutch babies for breakfast.”

“Yum.”

“We’ll see you in a little while,” Maya says.

The King’s leave and shortly afterward Effrem returns with a tray carrying a mug of tea and a plate with saltines on it.

“Thank you.”

I manage to eat a few crackers and drink half the mug of tea before Doctor Nash showed up. He was a handsome man over six feet tall with thick curly hair, mischievous green eyes and mustache that would make a seventies porn star envious. I’d see he was in his mid-forties, fit, and had a smile that put me at ease.

“You must be, Ruby. I’m Cyrus Nash. You can call me Cy. All my friends do. Since you're the new bakery owner we’re going to be good friends. A love hate relationship. I’ll love your baked goods and hate the extra workout.”

I laugh.

“Effrem says you got quite the nasty bump on your head yesterday and you threw up this morning. Is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I was assaulted yesterday and then pushed. I fell and hit my head against the metal counter.”

He holds up a doctor's bag. An honest to goodness doctor’s bag like Doc Baker on Little House on the Prairie.

“Let’s check you and see if we can get you fixed up without having to take you somewhere for testing.”

He checks all my vitals, shines a light in my eyes and checks the bump on my head. He also, gently, reexamines my eye.

“Before we move on let’s get all the routine questions out of the way.”

“Is it possible you're pregnant?”

“Not possible.”

“When’s the last time you had intercourse?”

I turn bright red. “Umm yesterday.”

“Before that?”

“About three weeks ago. Have you missed your period since then?”

“I did miss my last period but I’m sterile. I can't have kids.”

“Humor me and pee on this little stick anyway," he says pulling a test kit from the bag.

“I’ll draw blood if need be but let’s start here. Do you need help getting to the bathroom?”

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