TWO
The man opened the pistol and showed Piper that it was loaded. Then he closed the pistol and laid it on the counter. Piper looked on confused as he slid the pistol across the counter to her.
"You might feel a bit safer with that," he said. "I use it to protect against wild animals. Look, my name is Adam Carpenter. If I had wanted to hurt you, I've had more than ample opportunity in the last three days."
Piper didn't touch the pistol. She just looked at Carpenter. If he had wanted to hurt her, he would have been able to while she was unconscious. And he certainly wouldn't give her a loaded gun to use against him.
"Okay," she said, putting the knife down, "if you don't want to hurt me, then tell me where I am and what I'm doing here."
"You wandered in about three days ago," Carpenter said. "I think you may have been in a car accident. You were pretty banged up and delirious. I patched you up and you've been asleep ever since."
"And my clothes?" Piper asked.
"I had to burn them," Carpenter said. "They were a mess and covered in blood. Actually, you looked a whole lot worse than you really were."
"So you removed my clothes?" Piper asked.
"It made burning them a little easier," Carpenter joked. "Don't worry. I kept my eyes closed the whole time."
Piper just laughed. She couldn't help herself. His statement just sounded so ludicrous.
"I really should take a look at that head wound," he said. "If nothing else, the bandage could use changing."
Piper decided she could probably trust him. And at the moment, there didn't seem to be anything she could do about it anyway. They moved into a study where Carpenter pulled out a first aid kit.
"Well, it's healing nicely," he said after checking her wound. "I doubt you'll even have a scar. It should be completely gone in a few weeks."
"Thank you Doctor Carpenter," Piper said, looking at the diplomas hanging on one wall. "You never mentioned you were a medical doctor."
"Ancient history," Carpenter said. "I don't practice any more. That was a very long time ago."
"What happened?" Piper asked. "Did you get rich and decide to chuck it all to live out here."
"Not exactly," Carpenter responded. "I was head of pediatric medicine at San Francisco General. One day I misdiagnosed a patient. A seven-year-old girl. By the time I caught my mistake, it was too late. She had already died."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Piper said.
"As I said," Carpenter replied, "ancient history."
"So you just quit?" Piper asked.
"Something like that," Carpenter said. "That little girl would still be alive if not for me. I decided I didn't have the right to decide who lives and who dies any more."
"I'm sure you did everything you could," Piper said.
"If I had," Carpenter said, "she'd still be alive. Oh, I was cleared of any wrong doing by a board of inquiry. But it was a stupid mistake. I shouldn't have made it. But because I did, a little girl had to pay for that mistake with her life."
"I'm sure it wasn't like that," Piper said.
"Doesn't really matter any more anyway," Carpenter said. "Now, what do I call you? You didn't have any identification when you stumbled in here."
Piper thought for a moment. She got a perplexed look on her face.
"I don't know," she said. "I don't seem to remember my name. In fact, I don't remember anything before I woke up in your bed."
The man opened the pistol and showed Piper that it was loaded. Then he closed the pistol and laid it on the counter. Piper looked on confused as he slid the pistol across the counter to her.
"You might feel a bit safer with that," he said. "I use it to protect against wild animals. Look, my name is Adam Carpenter. If I had wanted to hurt you, I've had more than ample opportunity in the last three days."
Piper didn't touch the pistol. She just looked at Carpenter. If he had wanted to hurt her, he would have been able to while she was unconscious. And he certainly wouldn't give her a loaded gun to use against him.
"Okay," she said, putting the knife down, "if you don't want to hurt me, then tell me where I am and what I'm doing here."
"You wandered in about three days ago," Carpenter said. "I think you may have been in a car accident. You were pretty banged up and delirious. I patched you up and you've been asleep ever since."
"And my clothes?" Piper asked.
"I had to burn them," Carpenter said. "They were a mess and covered in blood. Actually, you looked a whole lot worse than you really were."
"So you removed my clothes?" Piper asked.
"It made burning them a little easier," Carpenter joked. "Don't worry. I kept my eyes closed the whole time."
Piper just laughed. She couldn't help herself. His statement just sounded so ludicrous.
"I really should take a look at that head wound," he said. "If nothing else, the bandage could use changing."
Piper decided she could probably trust him. And at the moment, there didn't seem to be anything she could do about it anyway. They moved into a study where Carpenter pulled out a first aid kit.
"Well, it's healing nicely," he said after checking her wound. "I doubt you'll even have a scar. It should be completely gone in a few weeks."
"Thank you Doctor Carpenter," Piper said, looking at the diplomas hanging on one wall. "You never mentioned you were a medical doctor."
"Ancient history," Carpenter said. "I don't practice any more. That was a very long time ago."
"What happened?" Piper asked. "Did you get rich and decide to chuck it all to live out here."
"Not exactly," Carpenter responded. "I was head of pediatric medicine at San Francisco General. One day I misdiagnosed a patient. A seven-year-old girl. By the time I caught my mistake, it was too late. She had already died."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Piper said.
"As I said," Carpenter replied, "ancient history."
"So you just quit?" Piper asked.
"Something like that," Carpenter said. "That little girl would still be alive if not for me. I decided I didn't have the right to decide who lives and who dies any more."
"I'm sure you did everything you could," Piper said.
"If I had," Carpenter said, "she'd still be alive. Oh, I was cleared of any wrong doing by a board of inquiry. But it was a stupid mistake. I shouldn't have made it. But because I did, a little girl had to pay for that mistake with her life."
"I'm sure it wasn't like that," Piper said.
"Doesn't really matter any more anyway," Carpenter said. "Now, what do I call you? You didn't have any identification when you stumbled in here."
Piper thought for a moment. She got a perplexed look on her face.
"I don't know," she said. "I don't seem to remember my name. In fact, I don't remember anything before I woke up in your bed."