ts now. Marriage had never been something he’d imagined for himself. God had given him a passion for medicine and that was enough, more than many got. Yet here he was, sitting next to the most be

s. They were a touch long, but he couldn’t imagine them differently. Before this, Jack had never paid more than a clinical attention to eyes, to anyone’s

ack of the time and the ducks moving around on the pond. He’d never had something more splendid to tell her, so the inability to do so sat with him. In his imagination, he could see his twin sister si

her. In time, when he’d finished his residency, perhaps Gael would be a lawyer by then, and they could set up their practices from the same home. One of them, at l

eburns, and a secret stash of peppermints. Sitting there with Gael on the bank of some lake whose name he d

e laid a hand on his partner’s shoulder

it wasn’t charitable an

autiful sound. “Perhaps we can

nd he was up on his feet as if he were going to chase wh

giving his best unpra

roaned. “I have

sy future, but not the present. Once on his feet, he leaned close enough to brush his lips daringly over Gael’s, lingering when there was n

ling and wonderful intimacy that only confirmed that they were destined to be together for life. The

’s shoulders and pronounced, “We’re going to build the best life t

eased, “Come on, Jack, I have to get to wo

Do you work as a law

at, “I’m an odd jobs guy. I take car

et you into law school. I’ll help you.

he car’s bonnet, smiling wistfully. He gav

wished it would. He’d hardly had a chance to say anything else and the

you as soon a

sage at the hospital or here.

I can. I’m going to have to settle some th

tomorrow? How ca

k. You’ll have to trus

you, Gael. I

but you might want to get to know me a bit more, just because I’m the first guy, yo

” Jack said, “You are brilliant. I ca

isn’t a fairytale and it isn’t Kansas. If w

not childish. How o

how people feel about Irish. Your landlady is common. Get out, Jack. I h

him again. The day after tomorrow, he’d

felt like a hundred years. It was three days later that he got to go home for a few hours of sle

find him at the hospit

he di

ages, but there was a p

lling him that it was nonsense, that a man accepted the truth of the world and moved on. It wasn’t like his father was ever, ever g

moment thinking about how nice his sideburns were going to look when he did get to start a famil

d, he got lucky and got a ride in the back of a wagon. The closer they got to the city itself, the more cars there were, the more shops, and people on the street.

on. The air smelled heavier somehow, unknown things layering over other things, mixed in with soot, sweat, and cigarette smoke. At the edge of the pier, he could

arehouses, places of manufacture, various groups of men moving through

unbearably delicious and he considered that he might need to be mindful of his waistline. Just as he put the last bit in his mouth, he felt

different context than when Gael had said them, but he knew them nonetheless, as long as he didn’t have to say them

d. That would be a problem to solve. The activity was mostly around a very large crate that had fallen on the leg of another man, which was much more prob

at they were doing. Jack tried his best to repeat some of the words Gael had sai

n said, dark hair and a ruddy face, a nose bro

d touched a finger tip in a splatter of blood, them mimicked lifting the bo

ose shrugged

s a tourniquet on the man’s leg. The man was unconscious, which was probably a blessin

gently touched the leg.

the man’s pulse, opened and looked at one eye, which

e adult than Jack thought he’d ever been. She knelt by the un

ak English,

aid. “Will P

is a blanket to wrap him in? We need to keep his leg chill, but wrap h

ent for ice came back, axe still in han

od,” Jac

man and use one of the blankets as a stretcher. the other wrapped around him. The ice when a

h the dislocated shoulder. “I’m Dr. Walker,” he said

d, dark eyes looking up at Ja

fortunate to be

rustful eyes na

. May I help wit

gave a c

h. “It is dislocated. This may hurt just a bit, but I am go

han hitting a wall

shoulder, with a sharp and precise roll and jerk, he had it back in place with

he said, “I am well. Thank you.

said, “I am looking for a

lowed laughter behind him. Ian sto

y to take. “It’s ni

ll, blue eyes, yellow cu

“Yes. Do you know wh

e! Get a wagon, take D

ge boy said, running

n there. It’s dangerous,” then with

days. If you ever need any medical help, please don’t