Page 21 of Lake's Legacy

Lake frowns. “I don’t think it’s a rule or a tradition. My mom and dad did, but my father’s mother wasn’t the tribe’s Medicine Woman.”

“My grandmother was the Medicine Woman before your mother,” Annette says. “She’s why my dad went on to become a doctor. She’s also why I followed in his footsteps. I found her old journal. She had a remedy for everything in that book. I saw myself solving all the world’s illnesses with her knowledge.” Annette laughs. “That hasn’t happened, but I plan on using her cures in my practice. I want to bring back some of the simple remedies.”

“That’s a good idea,” I tell her. “I wouldn’t mind looking at it if you didn’t mind sharing. Natural remedies often work just as well and with fewer side effects.”

“I’d love to show it to you.”

Toff glances at his watch. “We should get over to the clinic. Several men and women repaired and cleaned it so we could use it to see patients today.”

“How much damage did they do?” Lake asks.

“Enough. We got lucky. Dr. Sinclair locked up the supplies and equipment in the X-ray room. The assholes tried to break through the wall but couldn’t get inside. They broke chairs, cabinets, and the exam tables. We purchased two new exam tables from the hospital where Annette’s father works. We also got some basic supplies from them. We should have everything you need.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: LAKE

The clinic is south of the town center, closer to those who require its services. Its location in the bayou, with only trees and wildlife as neighbors, makes it easy to understand how the men who attacked Dr. Sinclair and ransacked the building could do so without getting caught.

“How long before someone found Dr. Sinclair?” I ask Toff when we step out of the SUV.

“Two hours,” Toff says, making me wince. “He’s lucky he didn’t bleed out. Doc was able to patch his wound. The assholes stole his cell phone and the office phone so he couldn’t call for help.”

Walking around the outside of the building, I see where someone tried to paint over something on the side wall. Stepping forward, I can make out a swastika. It will take several more coats of paint to cover it completely. But it tells me we’re dealing with white supremacist trash. The current political climate has not only increased racism, but it has given the racists free reign to attack anyone different. While I continue my examination outside, Olivia and Annette go inside with Toff.

Behind the clinic is a small patch of muddy land, making spotting the motorcycle tracks easy.

I follow the tracks through the bayou and out the other side next to a road that leads into the main thoroughfare. Whoever these assholes are either scouted the area before the attack or someone told them about the shortcut.

Returning to the clinic, I went inside to assess the damage. Whoever cleaned up took more care to cover up the damage inside. Several coats of paint covered what I’m sure was more racially charged graffiti.

I toured the clinic when it first opened. I can see the damage they inflicted. The waiting room once had a wall of comfortable seats, but now it is empty except for two hard plastic chairs. The counter that once separated the waiting room from the rest of the clinic is gone. They gutted the first room, so I can imagine what they’ve done throughout.

“The walls had holes in them, and the graffiti was nasty,” Annette explains.

“Do you have pictures of the damage?” I ask her.

“Toff does. We needed it for insurance.”

“Good, I’ll get him to send them to me. How much damage did these guys cause? Lose any equipment?”

“Just the furniture, the exam tables, and most of our basic supplies. Like tongue depressors, gauze, and bandages. They couldn’t get to the medicine or the expensive equipment.”

I follow Annette as she guides me through the clinic. I smell evidence of fresh paint in every room. The breakroom and the bathrooms have brand-new fixtures. Same for the exam rooms. The exam tables appear unused. At the end of the hallway, we stop at a closed door. Annette takes a keychain out of her pocket and unlocks the door. On the far side of the room sits various bulky equipment, including an X-ray machine, a CT scanner, and a mammography unit. Near the door is a locked medicine cabinet.

“When they built the clinic, they planned on adding the lead paneling to the walls surrounding this room to protect against radiation. However, Dr. Sinclair suggested adding steel paneling to keep out thieves. He knew the clinic was away from civilization, and we don’t have any police presence.”

“Smart move,” I say. Looking through the glass on the medicine cabinet. “Do we have everything we’ll need for the patients today?”

“We should. Most of those coming in only need vaccinations. Which we have.” I follow Annette out of the room as we return to the breakroom to find Toff making coffee. “We might get someone coming in with an injury. If they do, we have antibiotics and pain medication. The only patients scheduled to come in are Muriel Oxbridge and Celeste Billiot. They’re both pregnant and coming in for check-ups, including sonograms, which we can handle. Muriel is only four months in, but Celeste is due any day now. Dr. Sinclair was worried about her because the baby hadn’t turned yet.”

She chuckles when I grimace. “Looks like you and I will be handling them, Olivia.”

“Can imagine you don’t get much call to deliver babies in the Army or as a member of the Demon Dawgs,” Olivia teases me.

“Hey, I’ve delivered a baby before. Once. We were in a village in the Middle East. The poor woman went into labor just as we were trying to evacuate the village. I’m proud to say she and the baby survived. However, I honestly can’t remember much of the experience, what with bombs going off and bullets flying around us. As I recall, she did most of the work.”

“That about sums up childbirth,” Olivia says with a grin.

“We can take care of the mothers and the vaccinations. You can handle anyone else who comes in,” Annette tells me.

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