A House United Book 1: The Hardest Goodbye

Chapter One

Washington, DC

July 1859

Josephine Cartwright blew an errant strand of dark hair out of her face and shifted her position between her patient and the window to get more light on the back of the man's head. His hair was tacky with blood, and she had to wipe it down frequently with a damp cloth.

"However did you manage to do this in your bookshop, Mr. Roberts?" she asked in amazement.

Mark Roberts grimaced as Josie jabbed her needle through his scalp for a final stitch.

"Clint was carrying a crate of books, knocked into me, and sent me flying backwards into one of the shelves," he said, clearly exasperated by his son. This was not the first time Clint's clumsiness had forced someone to seek medical attention.

"At least no one landed in horse manure this time." Josie tied off her thread and gently bandaged his head to keep the stitches clean. "Come back in a week, and I'll take the stitches out. And take it easy the rest of the day. You may feel dizzy, and we don't need you fainting and splitting open another piece of your head."

Mr. Roberts chuckled. "Indeed I will." He stood up and collected his hat. "What do I owe you for this?"

"I wouldn't charge you for five stitches. Reserve me a copy of A Tale of Two Cities when the serial is complete, and we'll call it even."

"I'll be sure to do that." Mr. Roberts headed for the door. "Congratulations on your acceptance to medical school, by the way. I hear you had some special guests arrive to help you celebrate."

Josie's face split into a wide smile. "I did! My cousins Adam and Joe came all the way from the Utah Territory! I had not seen either of them since we accompanied Adam home after his graduation from Harvard nine years ago. Little Joe was only eight years old then. It's just too bad my Uncle Ben and Hoss couldn't come along, too, but I guess someone has to run their ranch."

"It's hard when family is so far away," Mr. Roberts reflected. "But it makes your time together that much sweeter."

"I suppose so. I would have liked to have gone back to the territory with them to visit for a while, but school starts in September."

Roberts smiled at her. "You'll make a fine doctor."

"Thank you," Josie said, smiling back. "Now remember what I said: take it easy the rest of the day."

"Will do. Tell your father I said hello."

"I will. Take care." Josie closed the door behind Mr. Roberts and returned to the exam room to clean up.

She hummed as she dropped her used needle into a jar of alcohol and wiped up some stray drops of blood from the exam table. She would have loved returning to the Nevada region with her cousins, but she had dreamed of going to medical school since she was a small girl. Her visit would have to wait at least the two years it would take her to earn her MD. And it helped that Adam was nearly as excited about her becoming a doctor as she was. He always had been bookish.

"Oh, someday," she sighed to herself as she tossed away a bloody rag.

******

When her father returned to the clinic just before supper after a round of house calls, Josie related the details of Mr. Roberts's accident. Dr. Jacob Cartwright shook his head. "Poor Mark," he chuckled. "That boy will be the death of him."