I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such
counsel; In whatsoever houses I enter, I will enter to help the sick, and I will
abstain from all intentional wrongdoing and harm, especially from abusing
the bodies of man or woman, bond or free.Hippocrates c 460 - 400 BC Extract from the Physician's Oath.
THE INTERVIEW
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon in early June 1964, Doctor Paul Sinclair drove down Mothershaw Street. He usually avoided this short cut but today he was late. This was one of the worst of the run-down neighborhoods. The terrace houses had no yards and the front doors opened straight onto the sidewalk. Paul slowed down and concentrated on steering his Triumph Herald around the shards of broken glass in the road.
Suddenly a small group of children playing on the sidewalk darted into the road. Paul cursed under his breath as he stood on the brakes and the engine died before he could depress the clutch. He shifted into neutral and twisted the ignition key. The engine turned over sluggishly but didn't fire. Paul sighed. This was not a good location to be stuck in a disabled vehicle.
A stream of invective from a nearby doorway assaulted his ears. He turned his head and looked across the road. A large middle-aged woman was sitting on a doorstep. The half empty spirit bottle beside her was an indication of how she was spending her afternoon.
The woman sat with her legs wide apart and her skirt hitched up. Apparently unaware that her underwear and a large expanse of her pasty white thighs were revealed.
Paul wound down his window to speak to the woman. As he spoke he couldn't help but stare between her legs. Her gargantuan thighs fascinated him and he was unable to avert his gaze. She seemed completely unconcerned about her immodest pose.
"Are these your children?" asked Paul. "They should be more careful."
"What business is it of yours, snotty nose?"
"They might have caused me to have an accident."
"Got your eye full then?"
"I beg you pardon?"
"Had a good look up my drawers then? I'm coming over there to fill your arse for you!"
Paul stared in dismay as the woman tried to struggle to her feet. If she crossed the street, things could get ugly! He turned the ignition key again and this time the engine started. He wound up the window and continued down the road to the junction with Blairgowrie Avenue. As he sat waiting for a break in the traffic, he reflected that Heather was right. They should move away from Glasgow. This was not a good place to raise their daughter, Fiona.
He had been an assistant in the practice since July of the previous year. In the beginning he had been full of missionary zeal. He had ambitiously chosen to work in a poor part of the city because he had hoped to improve the health of the inhabitants. A few months' experience had convinced him of the error of his assumptions.
The patients that he saw daily had no interest in stopping smoking or drinking. A good proportion merely required Paul to renew their certificates without question so that they could continue to draw sickness benefits. Most of the rest spent their effort in trying to wheedle mind altering medications from him. Medications that he had no intention of prescribing!
Heather had the right idea. He should renew his efforts to find another position. But so far he had not been able to find a position that suited them both. One or two had been promising but the remuneration offered was inadequate.
There was a break in the traffic and he turned right into the broader Blairgowrie Avenue with a sigh of relief. There were fewer children here and hardly any broken glass. The houses in Blairgowrie Avenue were old Victorian mansions which, without exception, had been converted into apartments. Paul drove through the gateway of number 36 and parked his car on the dirt yard.
Heather had fretted about the accommodation since Fiona was born three months ago. The rooms were spacious enough but it had been difficult to keep them heated in the winter. They had to share the bathroom with the other tenants in the house. The back yard was overgrown and haunted by stray cats. But, since he could barely afford the rent for the ground floor apartment, something grander was out of the question..
The amenities in the area were no better. The trees in the avenue had almost disappeared. The local park consisted of packed bare earth; all vegetation destroyed by constant overuse.
He opened the door to the house to find Heather standing in the hallway.
"I'm glad you made it home before you had to see patients this evening. I have some good news for you."
Paul kissed his wife on the cheek. "Don't tell me I've had a wonderful job offer!"
Heather's face fell. "How did you know? Did he phone the office? I wanted to be the first to tell you."
Paul was puzzled. "Did who phone? I was only joking. I don't know what you are talking about."
"A man from the Medical Association Agency phoned here. A vacancy in a practice in Gloucestershire has opened up but the partners want to fill it quickly."
"Then why didn't you phone the office to tell me?"
"I tried but you had already left to do home visits. I went ahead and phoned the practice in Gloucestershire to tell them you were interested."
"You did what!"
"Are you deaf? I phoned the practice and spoke to the senior partner. His name is Doctor McLeod and I've arranged an interview for you. He wants you to visit for the weekend."
"You arranged for an interview without asking me?"
"Yes, Paul I did! Someone has to take the initiative around here and it doesn't appear to be you. You are either too tired or too busy to attend to finding a new position. It's not only your future but mine and Fiona's as well!"
"But how do you know the practice will suit us?"
"Because I talked with Doctor McLeod for a long time. He wanted to know all about you and I was able to answer his questions from your résumé. He wants you to take a copy by the way."
"But I haven't talked to him. I don't know anything about the practice."
"You'll be able to find out this weekend. One thing I do know is that he is willing to pay you more money than you are earning at present."
"You told him how much I earn?"
"Of course I did. He asked me and I wanted to make sure that any move would improve our financial position."
Paul felt annoyed at Heather's interference but perhaps this was the opportunity for which he was searching.
"It will take me a long time to drive down there."
"I've arranged for you to go down by train on Thursday night. You'll be fresher for the interview. Besides I need the car. It's difficult for me to carry both Fiona and shopping."
"But I have to work tomorrow and Friday."
"Take the time off. They owe you some time. You worked both Easter and Christmas."
"I could probably get Thursday afternoon and Friday off. You're right! They do owe me some days off and I'm free this weekend but how am I to get about once I get there."
"That's all arranged. Look, I'll drive you to the station on Thursday afternoon. You can get the night sleeper train from Edinburgh to London. From London you can catch a train to Bristol on Friday morning. Doctor McLeod has arranged for you to pick up a rental car in Bristol. I wrote the details on this piece of paper."
"It seems that you have it all arranged between the pair of you. It doesn't look as if I have much choice in the matter."
"Paul don't be so peevish. I went to a great deal of trouble to make all these arrangements. I knew you didn't have the time to take care of it properly. I don't want you to miss this opportunity by delaying matters."
Paul did not protest any further. Heather must have decided that this was an opportunity she was not going to miss when she heard that the salary would be larger.
The next night, lying in a sleeper carriage on his way to Euston Station, Paul thought about the upcoming interview. He was well qualified for any position. He had finished his clinical training at Edinburgh University in 1957 and spent a year at the Royal Infirmary to complete his pre-registration year. After this he had spent two years in the Royal Army Medical Corps to fulfill his National Service obligation.
Balancing the bad with the good, those two years in the Army weren't so unpleasant, he thought on reflection. He had been stationed at a military hospital in London for most of the two years.
The Commanding Officer of the hospital had been a personal friend of Paul's family. The older regular officers were a small elite and Paul's father had been a career officer in the Royal Artillery with a distinguished war record. The Commanding Officer of the hospital had tried to persuade Paul to sign on for a regular commission.
Paul had almost been tempted. He had been single then and living in the Mess had been relatively inexpensive. He had even managed to augment his savings. But being single in the military had its drawbacks. Officers could only entertain members of the opposite sex in the public rooms. It had been an unbreakable rule that females were not allowed in the bedrooms at the Mess. That place was one of the last bastions of monasticism in England!
After leaving the Army, he had gone to a General Practice training scheme in Aberdeen. He had enjoyed being back in a busy civilian hospital with the benefit of an improved social life. He had been popular and had a small succession of girl friends but had never wanted to marry any of them while in training.
It was in Aberdeen that he had met Heather. She had been the supervisor of the operating room nurses and personally scrubbed to assist the senior surgeon. His romance with Heather had been an almost accidental whirlwind affair. At the end of his training, he had realized that he would need a wife for General Practice. Heather was conveniently on hand and they had married before he left Aberdeen.
He drifted off and slept well despite the noise of the train. The sleeping car attendant woke him at 6 a.m. bearing a cup of tea.
"Morning, Sir! Better start getting ready," announced the attendant. "You'll be able to get off at 7 a.m."
Paul exited from Euston Station and made his way to a Lyons Corner House for breakfast. He needed to be at Paddington Station by 9 a.m. in order to catch the Bristol train. He had plenty of time but decided to proceed to Paddington immediately after breakfast. He wanted to avoid the worst of the rush hour on the Underground. It was so hot when everyone was packed into those airless tube trains. He would prefer to ride early and sit at Paddington Station than sweat on the Tube train.
The westward rail journey did not go as scheduled. Paul arrived at Bristol much later than anticipated. The train's delay was due to major track repairs with single line working. He had cursed silently as he sat in the motionless carriage staring out at the beautiful green countryside.
Leaving Temple Meads station he hurried to "Bristol Motors" to pick up his rental car. He inspected the Triumph Herald that the hire manager offered. It seemed to be in good condition and was a newer model than his own in Glasgow.
"How do you want me to pay for the car?"
"No need to worry," said the manager. "It's all taken care of. I'm to bill Doctor McLeod. He is an old customer of ours."
He read the hire agreement but had second thoughts before he signed.
"I want to return the vehicle on Sunday," he told the manager. "Will that be a problem?"
"We're not open on Sundays but you can just leave the car on the forecourt and drop the keys through the letter box. Make sure you lock all the doors! I don't want the local kids fooling with the car."
He gave Paul directions to Stroud and also told him the name of a local cafe where he could get a cheap but good lunch. Paul drove to Stroud after his hurried meal and took the turning for Camstone.
Camstone was a moderate sized village set in undulating farmland. He noted with delight the picturesque cottages built in natural limestone and the few shops. There was a church and some public houses. He was also pleased to see a small village school.
Fiona will be able start her education there. That should cut down on future expenses.
He stopped at the post office in to obtain directions.
"Can you tell me the way to Doctor McLeod's home." he asked the post-mistress. "The name of the house is 'Donaghadee'."
"Turn left by the village green and take Lambcroft lane towards Highridge Downs. You can't miss Doctor McLeod's house. It will be halfway along on the right. It's the only private house on the lane. The rest are farms."
He followed her directions from Camstone and drove down a narrow lane with high hawthorn hedges. He could not see any of the countryside except through the wooden field gates. As he passed each one, he glimpsed grassy fields mostly populated with sheep.
He was pleased to be away from Scotland. The bucolic surroundings of Camstone were in stark contrast to Glasgow with its dirty air and grimy buildings. He passed by several small farms and then around a bend in the lane he found the McLeod house.
Paul drove up the driveway and parked in the front of the house. He turned off the engine and sat there quietly for a few moments while he looked around at the property.
The large house was set back on the lot and the whole front of the property was surrounded by a tall thick holly hedge. The hedge was trimmed much lower along the road than it was at the sides. That must be so that drivers can see the traffic, Paul thought, otherwise you'd be exiting almost blind.
There were two entrance openings in the front hedge, one on each side of the property. A gravel drive ran from the one entrance to the front door and then turned back to the other entrance. Near the front door, a small graveled area provided parking for motor vehicles. A large garage, wide enough for three cars, was down a short drive on the right hand side of the house.
The house was built of golden limestone and was imposing in the afternoon sunshine. The roof was covered with a dark blue Welsh slate. There were two latticed bay windows on each side of the front door. Paul noticed a newer window in an area of lighter colored limestone on the far left side of the house. He looked up towards the roof and saw more latticed windows with shutters in the upper story, and two dormer windows in the roof.
The front garden was planted in a cottage style with perennials in island beds surrounded by paths paved with rough slabs of natural stones. Here and there were planted specimen trees. He recognized various different flowering magnolias and several weeping birches. In the middle of the garden was a small ornamental pond. Several of the island beds had attractive flowering standard roses.
This is a beautiful expensive home; Doctor McLeod must have a great deal of money. He emerged from the car and walked to the front door to ring the doorbell. A rich sonorous boom echoed through the house. After a few minutes a woman opened the door.
Paul stared at the woman. She was of medium height with a slim figure and full breasts. Her chestnut hair came down to her jaw line and framed a round face with a provocative engaging smile.
Paul was immediately charmed by the woman. She was attractive with a fresh complexion. She looked at him intently. Paul was immediately fascinated by the color of her eyes, an unusual mixture of brown and green tints.
"Good Afternoon! I'm looking for Doctor McLeod," said Paul. "I have an appointment."
"Oh, you must be Doctor Sinclair," replied the woman in a charming brogue, all the time staring back intently at Paul. "I'm Dr. McLeod. Come on in."
"There must be some mistake. I thought Dr. McLeod was a man," replied Paul in some surprise. "It was a man my wife spoke to on the phone."
"That was my husband, Doctor Richard McLeod. My name is Doctor Elizabeth McLeod. We're both physicians and run the practice jointly."
"We were expecting you some time ago," continued Elizabeth. "We had almost given up on you."
"I'm sorry about that but there were track repairs between London and Bristol. The train was delayed. I didn't get a chance to phone you. I was so busy trying to get here."
"Don't fret yourself," replied Elizabeth. "We've got all weekend. Come on in and meet my husband. He's in the back garden."
Paul entered and followed Elizabeth through the house. Throughout the downstairs portion the house was extremely well furnished. Paul was filled with envy by each room full of expensive solid wood furniture. The furniture was old but well maintained. The exposed polished surfaces gleamed in the afternoon sun. The floors were all fitted with an expensive deep wool carpet in a solid beige color.
He stopped at the bottom of the staircase to admire a beautiful antique grandfather clock standing in the hall. The clock had a painted dial and showed the sun and the phases of the moon.
"What a charming old clock," remarked Paul. "I see it shows the correct time but does it chime as well?"
"Most of the time," replied Elizabeth. "Let's wait and see. It's just coming up to a quarter past three."
They both stood and listened as the old clock chimed the quarter.
"The clock originally belonged to Richard's grandfather," said Elizabeth. "Richard inherited it when his father died."
"It's beautiful. It must be worth a great deal of money!"
Immediately after he had spoken, he felt embarrassed. How crass of me, he thought, to remark on the value of their personal possessions.
"I'm not sure how much it's worth," replied Elizabeth, "but I do know that sometimes when I cannot sleep, I would willingly give it away. The chiming can get on your nerves."
Paul felt a little intimidated by their house. I am a physician but I am obviously not in the same financial class as the McLeods. He followed Elizabeth out through a large kitchen with fitted cupboards and an island cooker. He noticed a large refrigerator, freezer and a dishwasher as he passed through.
Elizabeth opened the back door and they stepped out into the back garden. There were more mature trees planted near to the house. Mostly weeping birch, ash and elm. They had been well tended and made a shady area close to the kitchen.
He looked down the long garden. Another high holly hedge surrounded the property at the back and it appeared to stretch away into the distance.
They must have a huge lot, thought Paul, and they must have a gardener to take care of all this yard.
As Paul followed Elizabeth, he looked carefully at the grounds. The back garden was mostly lawn with perennial borders. Half way down the lawn was a long narrow two-lane lap swimming pool, its clear water sparkling in the afternoon sunshine. Near the pool was a small pump house. In front of the pump house, on a lawn swing and under the shade of its awning, a large framed man sprawled untidily. He was reading a newspaper and seemed unaware of their approach.
Doctor Richard McLeod was an elderly man clad in gray flannel trousers and an open necked shirt. He was wearing horn-rimmed glasses, which gave him an owlish appearance. His hair was uniformly white and he was balding at the temples. His face was flushed and under his prominent nose was a small moustache. There was an empty glass on a table containing the remains of a drink and a slice of lemon.
"Richard, Dr. Sinclair has just arrived," announced Elizabeth.
Richard McLeod put down his newspaper and turned his head to stare at Paul. Then he stood up to shake Paul's hand with a firm grip. He must be about six foot four inches, thought Paul, he's at least two inches taller than me. Elizabeth's husband had obviously once been a fine figure of a man but was now carrying too much weight, especially around his middle.
"I'm glad that you finally got here," said Richard. "Here sit down and take off your jacket and tie. It's too hot for formalities. Would you like a gin and tonic after your long journey?"
"Not for me, thank you," said Paul who remained standing.
"You're not a tee-totaller are you?" asked Richard sitting back down on the lawn swing.
"No Sir, I'm not," said Paul. "It's just that it is a little too early in the day for me. But I would like a glass of water."
"I can see you might be a good influence on Richard," remarked Elizabeth. "It never seems to be too early for him." She went in the pump house and returned with the water.
Richard ignored her remark and cleared his throat. "We're delighted you could come at such short notice. I don't need to introduce you to my wife and practice partner, as you've already met. We're both pleased to see you. We've only just made up our minds to get a new partner."
Paul remained standing. He did not want to sit down before Elizabeth. His house-master had always been most particular about him never sitting while a lady was standing.
"For goodness sake man, take a seat!" ordered Richard. "You're making me nervous standing over me like that. I would like to read your résumé. Did you bring it?"
Paul promptly sat in a lawn chair facing the lawn swing. Elizabeth took her place on the swing by her husband.
Richard peered at the typed résumé that Paul had brought.
"This all looks good to me. I see you are an Oxford man but had the good sense to go to Edinburgh for your clinical years. I'm afraid we're both provincial doctors. Elizabeth and myself trained at Queens in Belfast."
"Now, Richard don't go belittling yourself," admonished Elizabeth. "You know that we both had excellent training. Personally I don't think the training is so important as keeping up with changes in medical practice."
She turned to look at Paul. "Tell me some more about your family. I hear you have a wife and daughter. Are you happily married? I think that's important in a general practitioner."
Paul related the details of his marriage. I hope I sound sincere, he thought, it might be a mark against me if they knew that Heather and I have some problems.
"I'm much younger than Richard because I'm his second wife," announced Elizabeth. "His first wife died. We have no children but Richard has a daughter by his first marriage."
Richard grunted. Paul could sense that this was not a welcome topic for further conversation.
Richard peered at the résumé again. "I see your father was a career military officer. You did your National Service in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Didn't you want to make a career for yourself in the military?"
"I saw enough of that life as a child," replied Paul. "We were always moving. My parents were abroad a good deal and I spent a fair number of my growing years in boarding schools or staying with childless relatives. My parents are currently abroad as I speak. Since my father's retirement he has been working as a military adviser to foreign governments. I'm an only child and we're not a close knit family."
"I'm afraid that can happen in the best of families. Why do you want to leave your present position and come to Camstone?" asked Richard.
"I'm only an assistant in my present practice and there is no view to partnership. I can renew my contract for another twelve months on July 1st. But, since our daughter Fiona was born, my wife has been urging me to find a country practice. She doesn't want our daughter raised in the middle of a big city, especially not Glasgow."
"I can understand that," said Richard. "A big city is no place for a small child, now tell me..."
"That's enough questions for now. Paul must be tired," interrupted Elizabeth. "You two can continue later. There will be plenty of time."
She turned to Paul; "We'll take you down to our clinic when it's time for the evening hours. You can sit in with us and meet a few patients. Now, would you like a dip in the pool before then."
Paul had been casting envious glances at their beautiful swimming pool. The afternoon was hot and a swim was tempting. "I'm afraid I don't have a costume with me but if you have a spare one?"
Elizabeth laughed. "We don't use costumes. We're not overlooked. We always swim in the all together. You know, 'naked as Nature intended'. That's what they always called it in the 'Naturist' magazine."
Paul flushed a bright pink. The name of the nudist magazine always reminded him of his adolescent prurient interest in the naked female figure. He could still remember giggling in the school toilets with the other boys at the magazine's air brushed and sanitized photographs. He had never truly believed that women had pubic hair until he had started his clinical rotations.
Swimming in the nude seemed an outrageous idea to him. What on earth was she thinking? He was not about to strip off in front of Elizabeth. He looked nervously at Richard.
"We have been known to bathe in the nude," said Richard with a smile. "It's all right with me if you want to swim that way."
"I'd rather not. I'm afraid I'm not a nudist." Paul replied diffidently. "I prefer to swim in a costume. I haven't swum naked since I was a small boy."
"Then we'll not swim," announced Elizabeth coolly. "We certainly wouldn't want to embarrass you."
"Now, about your accommodation for the weekend," said Richard, changing the subject abruptly.
"I haven't found a place yet," replied Paul. "I was hoping that you might know of a place around here. Perhaps an old pub?"
"You'll do nothing of the sort," dictated Richard. "You'll stay with us, won't he Elizabeth?" Elizabeth nodded her assent.
"There's plenty of room in this house," continued Richard. "We have a guest suite. It used to be our old office before we built the clinic. We converted it into a sitting room and a bedroom. It even has its own small private bathroom. Elizabeth why don't you show him where it is while I get another drink. He can bring in his luggage from the car."
"Come with me Paul," said Elizabeth getting up from her chair. "Now Richard go easy on the drink! You still have to see patients this evening."
Elizabeth led the way back into the house. She turned off the main hall into a short passage that ended in a door. She opened the door and they passed through into a small comfortably furnished sitting room.
"This was our old consulting room. I'm afraid that's why there are no windows. This door here leads into the bathroom."
She opened the door to reveal a small room containing a washbasin and toilet suite in pastel blue porcelain.
"I'm sorry that there's no bath tub or shower in this bathroom," said Elizabeth, "but we do have a shower in the main downstairs bathroom. I'll come and let you know when it is free in the morning. Would around 7:30 a.m. suit you?"
Paul nodded. This was not as convenient as a hotel but it was going to be much cheaper. Heather would appreciate the fact that he had saved money by staying with the McLeods.
"Now I'll show you the bedroom," announced Elizabeth. "It used to be the waiting room. That's why it's bigger."
She opened a door that led into a much larger room. The room was dominated by a large double bed covered with a floral bedspread. There were matching floral curtains at the window that looked out onto the graveled parking area.
She noticed him looking out through the window. "There used to be a separate door that led straight out to the parking area" she said, "but we had it blocked off when we converted the rooms. I expect you noticed the different color stone at the front when you arrived."
"This is beautiful," replied Paul. "I can't thank you enough for allowing me to stay with you. I'm afraid my budget is a little tight these days."
"We're delighted for you to stay," replied Elizabeth. "It will give us more time to get to know you. Now don't worry about money. We will pay all your expenses regardless of whether we offer you the job or whether you accept. You can rest easy on that score."
"Thank you! I would like to get my overnight bag now," said Paul, "and bring it in to the room."
"By all means and then we'll have a cup of tea and a sandwich. The evening hours start at 5 p.m. One of us will drive you down there."
They had afternoon tea sitting around the kitchen table. Elizabeth had made small sandwiches filled with thinly sliced cucumber. The sandwiches were followed with a slice of rich fruitcake.
"I'm serving the tea on the every day crockery, Paul," announced Elizabeth. "If you are to join this practice you will have to become used to our informality."
Their every day crockery is more expensive than anything Heather and I can afford, thought Paul, I assumed it was their best china.
After tea, Richard drove Paul down to the clinic in his Jaguar while Elizabeth followed in her green Mini.
"Now don't let Elizabeth overawe you," said Richard when they were alone in the car. "She's a good doctor but she's also used to having her own way. I'm afraid you must think she's free-thinking."
"Not at all," replied Paul. But he did admit to himself that Elizabeth was somewhat overbearing. I wonder if I can work comfortably with her?
Paul enjoyed his first visit to the clinic. Richard and Elizabeth took him on a conducted tour of the building and introduced him to all the staff. The premises were modern and designed to make the practice of medicine more comfortable. There were three rooms which functioned as consulting rooms and four examination rooms, one of which was reserved mainly for minor emergencies.
The staff, consisting of a receptionist, secretary and a nurse, seemed to be congenial. The secretary was a young single woman named Mary Briggs and only worked part-time. The receptionist was named Hannah Merchison and she appeared to be in her late fifties. She had a calm but firm personality and seemed capable at sorting out scheduling problems with the patients.
"I'm pleased to meet you," said Hannah. "If you join the practice you'll find that it is highly organized. It runs like a well oiled machine."
The practice nurse was named Brenda Downes and she appeared to be younger than Paul, possibly only in her late twenties. She was plain but interesting. On being introduced to Paul she gave him a broad grin and displayed two physical features that intrigued him.
The first was that she opened her eyes invitingly wide when speaking to him, a feature that he remembered the medical students used to call 'come to bed eyes'. The other was the prominent gap between her two front teeth when she smiled. Paul recalled that Chaucer had used this physical feature to indicate lasciviousness.
Brenda giggled on being introduced to Paul and then looked at Elizabeth with a mischievous smile.
"Oh, Dr. Elizabeth. Where did you find him," she remarked. "I'm going to have a hard time keeping all the young women away from him. He's too good looking."
"Well mind that you do," said Elizabeth warningly, "and that includes yourself. He's married and out of bounds to all."
When the first patients arrived, Paul sat in with Richard to watch and be introduced as a prospective partner. Paul noted that Richard's patients in general were older than average and a good proportion of them were women. Richard seemed ill at ease with the few children that came and readily deferred to Paul for diagnosis and treatment.
If I come here it is obvious that I should concentrate on seeing children and young mothers, thought Paul. Then I won't be a threat to Richard. I know from my present practice that older physicians can feel threatened by a younger colleague.
Paul sat in with Elizabeth for the second half of the clinic. The patients she saw were mainly young women and children. Several of the women were pregnant and coming for their antenatal care.
"Why are these maternity patients coming in the evening?" asked Paul between patients. "Don't you have an afternoon clinic for ante-natal patients?"
"Yes, we do," replied Elizabeth, "but these young women are still employed. I'll switch them to the afternoon clinic as soon as they leave their jobs."
It would seem that I'm going to be competing more with Elizabeth for patients, thought Paul, but I don't suppose Elizabeth regards me as a big threat. She seems to be popular with all her patients.
Elizabeth's last patient was a woman named Jean Townsend and was about Elizabeth's age. Jean was surprised to find that Paul was a prospective partner.
"Isn't Maureen going to return to the practice?" she asked. "I liked seeing her. I was hoping that she and I would really hit it off."
"No, I'm afraid it looks as if Maureen has gone for good," replied Elizabeth, "but I'm sure Dr. Sinclair will take good care of you if he joins us."
After Jean Townsend had left the room, Elizabeth declared. "You have just seen the only female homosexual in the practice. At least the only one I know about. She gave Maureen a hard time when she was here. Always making eyes at her."
"Who was Maureen?" asked Paul in some curiosity. "And did she leave because of that patient?"
"Maureen was our last partner but she departed after a quarrel over personal matters," replied Elizabeth. "Don't mention her to Richard. It's still a sore subject with him but I'll tell you all about it some day if you join the practice. I can promise you that nothing happened while she was here that would affect you in the slightest."