won’t open and my roommate is chatty. Don’tcha think I could leave now?”
Dr. Carlson looked up from the notes he was taking. “You’re really chomping at the bit. Are you sure you feel ready to be on your way?”
Hope filled her tone. “Oh, yes. My eye will soon be better, right?”
“It’s healing, and the pain should lessen every day.” He looked at her chart again. “I see here that you’re only taking Ibuprofen now. That seems to be taking care of the pain?”
“Jah.” She’d take the dull pain that remained over the feeling of being trapped.
He glanced at her chart again. “The stitches can come out in a week. You can come back for that, or perhaps you have someone who could remove them for you?”
“Yes. We have a local midwife who’s had some medical training. She’s given children stitches. Perhaps she could take them out, too?”
“Most likely.”
All that news sounded hopeful. “So you will let me leave? Soon?” She was proud of herself for not saying immediately.
His lips twitched. “I didn’t say that.”
“What are you saying?” She felt crestfallen. “What are you waiting for?”
To her irritation, his half-smile turned into a broad grin. “You are an impatient patient, aren’t you?” he asked, making a little joke. “Frannie, before I sign your release form, I’d like to know what you’re planning to do when you get home.”
The question caught her off guard. “What I’m planning to do?”
“Yes.” He looked at her steadily. “I want to know what you intend to do for the next few days.”
It sounded like a trick question, but she didn’t see how it could be. “Well, I run a bed-and-breakfast, you see. It’s called The Yellow Bird Inn. It was once my aunt’s.” Though she knew her mouth was running, she couldn’t seem to stop. “The Yellow Bird is not too big of a place. There’s only six bedrooms. But it keeps me plenty busy, with cooking and cleaning, and organizing things.”
He shifted. “Cooking and cleaning and organizing?”
Though she could have sworn she heard a note of dismay in his voice she got so excited about getting back to the inn, that her mouth just kept moving. “Oh, jah. I have become a pretty good innkeeper. And I even have guests, now.” The good Lord knew that wasn’t always the case.
“How many guests?”
“Three rooms are full up.”
He gazed at her once again, then scanned her chart. “Your inn sounds very nice.”
“Oh, it is! You should come one day and stay for the night. Each bedroom has its own bathroom. All the furniture is Amish made, and Amish sewn quilts are on every bed. Outside, we have a nice garden and some walking paths. I just painted the outside yellow.”
“You did?”
“Well, me and a pair of painters. The men did the high spots, but I painted much of the trim a shiny bright white.”
“When did you have time to paint?”
“Oh, I made time. I’m not much for sitting around.”
A line formed between his brows. “It doesn’t sound like it.”
“It’s impossible, you see, because there really is a lot to do. I’m a gut cook too. Every morning, I make eggs and bacon for the guests. Along with granola and fresh muffins and little quiches.”
“My mouth is watering. I’ll have to tell my wife about it.”
“I hope you do.”
“And who runs it with you?”
She paused. “No one.”
“Ah.”
Ah? Suddenly, he wasn’t sounding all that excited. “I’m a mighty good innkeeper, Doctah. I work hard to keep the place looking nice and clean.”
“I’m sure you do a very good job. I bet your inn is exceptional.” He wrote something down. “When you get home, will you, by chance, still have guests?”
“I hope so.” She bit her lip. “If they haven’t left by now. My friend Beth was going to try to stay and help out a bit. But you never know . . . It takes a lot of work to keep things running right. And she doesn’t cook all that well.”
“So she’s not much help?”
“She is, but Beth has her own job, you see. She’s a babysitter for some women in the area.”
“So you won’t have Beth’s help.”
“No.” As soon as she said the word, she wished she could take it back. Saying she intended to do a lot of work might not have been the best way to assure him she was ready to leave . . .
He crossed his arms over his chest. “So you’re saying that as soon as I release you, you’re going to go