"So this is our new doctor!" called out another patient from the doorway—a man in his seventies, with a neatly groomed white beard and bright, cheerful blue eyes. If he had been overweight, he could have played Santa Claus. He must have been someone important since Stacy had personally opened the door for him.
"I'm Dr. Colin Stone, please come in. How can I help you, Mr…?"
"Bartez. Benjamin Bartez. I'm the mayor of White Shore," he replied proudly, extending his hand to the doctor. Colin shook it politely.
"Ah, I see. Please, have a seat. I'll open your file. Tell me, what seems to be the problem?"
The man sat down.
"Nothing new, you see. The good old diabetes. I need to check in regularly and get a prescription for my insulin. I could have waited a day or two, but I wanted to meet our new doctor and invite you to Sunday dinner."
"Oh, really?" Stone said, genuinely surprised, as he approached the patient with a blood pressure monitor.
"Yes, yes, and to ask how you're finding our town?"
Colin started taking his blood pressure.
"It's very charming," he admitted. "The people here are very welcoming and kind. Though my first day was a bit… chaotic. Your blood pressure is fine. Do you monitor your sugar levels regularly?"
"Yes, yes. I keep them in check."
"Let's verify that." Stone took out a small device to measure blood glucose.
"Yes, I heard about yesterday's events. It's terrible what happened to the bus driver. And then that brawl at the bar… I'm sorry, Brad shouldn't have taken you to such a place."
"On the contrary, a doctor should be exactly where the injured are."
"Well, yes, but…" Benjamin Bartez pressed a gauze pad to his pricked finger. "If living with the Lipskis is inconvenient for you, we can find you other accommodations."
He said it in a tone that almost sounded apologetic. For some reason, Colin automatically became defensive.
"I don't know where you got that idea. Both Brad and the girls are wonderful people and excellent cooks. Your glucose level is normal."
"Really?" Was there relief in Bartez's voice? Had he lied about checking his sugar regularly? "If so, that's good. The police will want to speak with you about what happened yesterday…"
Colin, who had just sat down at his computer to write the prescription, froze for a moment.
"I already spoke with them at the bar."
"They mean the accident. It's your first day on the job, so I told them not to interrupt your work with patients, but they will need to question you…"
"Yes, of course," he agreed, sitting back.
"People in town have started talking… Could Brad have, you know, caused the accident…?"
Colin's heart pounded harder. His mind replayed yesterday's images. The bus, out of control, speeding toward the boy standing on the street… If Brad hadn't rammed into it, that child would probably be lying in the morgue today.
Stone had witnessed the scene firsthand, but in all the chaos of yesterday, he hadn't paid attention to the details. His mind had registered them, but he hadn't assigned them meaning. Only now, prompted by Mayor Bartez's question, did he realize what had truly happened at the bus depot.
He had, in fact, witnessed a heroic, incredibly dangerous act. Dangerous to Brad himself, perhaps even more than to the bus passengers. Maybe that's why his heart was still racing.
"The driver was probably already dead," he shook his head, trying to calm himself. "The autopsy or the paramedic's report will confirm it. But in any case, if Lipski hadn't stopped that bus, there would have been more casualties."
"You believe that?" The mayor smiled warmly. "That's good."
The relief in his voice was so evident that Colin looked up at his face. For a moment, he hesitated—should he ask? He suspected he shouldn't, yet still:
"Is there something I should know?"
Mayor Bartez put on the polite, professional smile of a politician.
"Not at all!" So there was something. "Brad is a hardworking young man, but his past was a little… wild, and some people might be a bit wary."
Colin immediately recalled how Lipski had pinned the biker against the wall, gripping him by the throat. There had been several men in that bar who looked like tough guys, but none of them had even flinched. And some of them were clearly the biker's friends.
So Brad had a not-so-clean past. Somehow, that didn't surprise Colin. The guy practically radiated an aura that warned people not to mess with him. That was exactly what made him so damn attractive. And as for his past… Well, Colin was the last person who had the right to judge someone based on their previous actions.
"I only care about the present," he said. "And right now, Brad Lipski risked his life to prevent a tragedy. Whatever happened in his past doesn't matter to me."
"Good to hear. Don't forget about Sunday dinner, Doctor. Stacy will give you the details."
"Alright. Thank you for the invitation," Colin replied, smiling as his patient left with his prescription.
He furrowed his brow for a moment, feeling his heart still unable to settle. There was definitely more to Brad Lipski's life than what had been revealed to him. It was intriguing and thrilling. Or… dangerous? Should he be afraid? Should he try to find out more?
No, he cut himself off quickly. Don't complicate your life. Not now. Not like this.
Besides, he didn't have time to dwell on it—his next patient was already waiting.