afternoon again, and to see her suddenly appear was disorienting. "Hi. I...uh..." She motioned to Pooch with her chin. "Walking the dog."
"I see that." Quinn extended her fingers toward the dog and got a warm lick as a reward. "Hi, pooch."
"Yes." Honor laughed. "That's him. Pooch."
Quinn raised a brow.
"His name. Pooch."
"Ah!" Quinn laughed. "He's very well behaved."
"That's an anomaly, I can assure you." Honor smiled, feeling foolish for her previous discomfort. "What about you? Kind of late for a stroll."
Quinn lifted her gym bag. "Working out."
Honor shook her head. "Don't you ever relax?"
"It was either that or unpack boxes." Quinn shrugged. "Seemed like a no-brainer to me."
By silent agreement, Honor turned around, and together they walked in the direction of their homes, making intermittent stops so that Pooch could smell a particularly delightful morsel of trash or leave his mark on top of one left by some interloper into his territory.
"I take it you didn't have much time to move," Honor said conversationally.
Quinn hesitated, then said, "I wasn't certain I would get this job, and then when I did, I only had a couple of weeks to find a place to live. I was lucky to get one so close to work."
"Do you intend to bike all winter?"
"As long as I can. I can always walk if the weather gets too bad."
Honor laughed. "I think you'll change your mind round about January. I'll see what I can do about getting you a parking space in the doctors' lot. They're rare as hen's teeth, but I'll cash in on some favors."
"Don't bother," Quinn said without thinking. "I can't drive."
"What? You don't know how to drive?"
"No, I..
.uh...don't
drive," Quinn amended quickly. "No car."
Honor cocked her head and gave Quinn a curious stare.
She's lying.
She knew it as surely as she had ever known anything.
But why?
"Well, then. I'll hold on to those favors."
"Thanks anyways," Quinn said awkwardly. Being around Honor made her forget her usual caution, which was not only disconcerting, but dangerous.
"This is my house," Honor said, indicating a dwelling setback from the street behind a white picket fence.
"Good night, Honor," Quinn said softly.
"See you tomorrow." Honor turned quickly into the driveway, pulling Pooch along while ignoring the insistent urge to watch until Quinn disappeared from sight. But as much as she would have liked to, it was hard to deny that she was already looking forward to seeing Quinn in the morning.
Chapter Six
H onor leaned over the bed, her stethoscope against the chest of a ten-year-old asthmatic, listening to the air flow in and out with each cycle of respiration. A few scattered wheezes still remained, but she was satisfied that the inhalation therapy she had prescribed to ease the constriction in the little boy's bronchial passages had begun to work. She looked up as Linda poked her head around the edge of the curtain. The expression on Linda's face brought Honor hurrying toward her.
"What is it?" From the alarm on her friend's face, she expected to hear that there'd been a multivehicular crash on the Schuylkill Expressway and that they were expecting six major traumas.
"Rodney just called from the job site. There's been an accident."
"Accident? What kind of accident? "
"I don't know. Something about Terry being in an accident. Then the ambulance arrived and he had to go."
"Ambulance? For
Terry?"
Honor's heart began to race. "Terry's been in an accident? What happened? "
"That's all he said, honey. That's all know."
Honor looked around the emergency room as if seeing it for the first time. Everything was so white, so sterile, so incredibly impersonal.
Terry. They're bringing Terry here.
Honor was a second-year resident, and until two minutes ago, she had thought she could handle anything.
Terry.
She took a breath, reminded herself that this was her domain, her kingdom. She
could
handle what was coming. That's what she did. She 'd take care of Terry.
"Did they say how bad?" Her voice
"I see that." Quinn extended her fingers toward the dog and got a warm lick as a reward. "Hi, pooch."
"Yes." Honor laughed. "That's him. Pooch."
Quinn raised a brow.
"His name. Pooch."
"Ah!" Quinn laughed. "He's very well behaved."
"That's an anomaly, I can assure you." Honor smiled, feeling foolish for her previous discomfort. "What about you? Kind of late for a stroll."
Quinn lifted her gym bag. "Working out."
Honor shook her head. "Don't you ever relax?"
"It was either that or unpack boxes." Quinn shrugged. "Seemed like a no-brainer to me."
By silent agreement, Honor turned around, and together they walked in the direction of their homes, making intermittent stops so that Pooch could smell a particularly delightful morsel of trash or leave his mark on top of one left by some interloper into his territory.
"I take it you didn't have much time to move," Honor said conversationally.
Quinn hesitated, then said, "I wasn't certain I would get this job, and then when I did, I only had a couple of weeks to find a place to live. I was lucky to get one so close to work."
"Do you intend to bike all winter?"
"As long as I can. I can always walk if the weather gets too bad."
Honor laughed. "I think you'll change your mind round about January. I'll see what I can do about getting you a parking space in the doctors' lot. They're rare as hen's teeth, but I'll cash in on some favors."
"Don't bother," Quinn said without thinking. "I can't drive."
"What? You don't know how to drive?"
"No, I..
.uh...don't
drive," Quinn amended quickly. "No car."
Honor cocked her head and gave Quinn a curious stare.
She's lying.
She knew it as surely as she had ever known anything.
But why?
"Well, then. I'll hold on to those favors."
"Thanks anyways," Quinn said awkwardly. Being around Honor made her forget her usual caution, which was not only disconcerting, but dangerous.
"This is my house," Honor said, indicating a dwelling setback from the street behind a white picket fence.
"Good night, Honor," Quinn said softly.
"See you tomorrow." Honor turned quickly into the driveway, pulling Pooch along while ignoring the insistent urge to watch until Quinn disappeared from sight. But as much as she would have liked to, it was hard to deny that she was already looking forward to seeing Quinn in the morning.
Chapter Six
H onor leaned over the bed, her stethoscope against the chest of a ten-year-old asthmatic, listening to the air flow in and out with each cycle of respiration. A few scattered wheezes still remained, but she was satisfied that the inhalation therapy she had prescribed to ease the constriction in the little boy's bronchial passages had begun to work. She looked up as Linda poked her head around the edge of the curtain. The expression on Linda's face brought Honor hurrying toward her.
"What is it?" From the alarm on her friend's face, she expected to hear that there'd been a multivehicular crash on the Schuylkill Expressway and that they were expecting six major traumas.
"Rodney just called from the job site. There's been an accident."
"Accident? What kind of accident? "
"I don't know. Something about Terry being in an accident. Then the ambulance arrived and he had to go."
"Ambulance? For
Terry?"
Honor's heart began to race. "Terry's been in an accident? What happened? "
"That's all he said, honey. That's all know."
Honor looked around the emergency room as if seeing it for the first time. Everything was so white, so sterile, so incredibly impersonal.
Terry. They're bringing Terry here.
Honor was a second-year resident, and until two minutes ago, she had thought she could handle anything.
Terry.
She took a breath, reminded herself that this was her domain, her kingdom. She
could
handle what was coming. That's what she did. She 'd take care of Terry.
"Did they say how bad?" Her voice
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