"Is there somewhere we can go and talk? In private?" Thomas asked the nurse.

"Uh, sure." The nurse replied, nodding toward a door with a simple sign on it that read 'Staff'. "That's our break room. Go on and wait for me in there and I'll be along soon as I tend to the Martin baby."

Thomas followed instruction and went through the door, finding an area that held no room for anything other than the small dining set, the soda machine, and the time clock that it already contained. Seeing no more than four cards next to the time clock told Thomas that this was not a popular area and the chances of being interrupted were slim.

A few minutes later the nurse entered the room and sat down next to Thomas. "Whatever you have to talk to me about sounds quite serious, young man." She commented, even as Thomas looked at the tag on her shirt and learned that her name was Shirley.

"I know this is a crazy question to ask…." Thomas admitted, getting right to the point. "……..but what are the chances that you might remember an incident that happened here back in 1947?"

"1947? Oh my that was….what…..35 years ago?" Shirley replied, scratching her head. "These days I'm lucky to remember at noon what I had for breakfast."

"I know it might be difficult." Thomas pressed. "But it has to do with the death of an infant back then. I'm hopin' you can tell me that it happens infrequently enough that you can just about recall all of them."

"Of course I can recall the incidents, but surely you can't expect me to remember specific years." Shirley pointed out. She then brightened in realization and put a hand on Thomas's arm. "Wait a minute, you said '47, right?"

Thomas nodded his head, perking up in interest at seeing her sudden excitement.

"That was the year I started working here." She recalled, going back in time in her own mind. "I was working under Dr. Shepard at the time, what a good man. I don't think Tri-County ever has or ever will see a more dedicated doctor."

"Do you recall any infant deaths that year?"

Shirley thought a few moments before she shook her head. "No not that year. I didn't see an infant pass 'till I'd been here over a year. That would have put it past '47."

Thomas swallowed as he took in the news. "Are you absolutely certain?"

"Oh very certain. Like I said, I worked with Dr. Wilson, and he was the only physician on staff at the time dedicated to delivering and caring for infants. If there had been a complication with a baby, I would have known about it."

Thomas nodded his head. "What about hospital paperwork? Does Tri-County have all that stuff from back then still on file somewhere?"

"No." Shirley shook her head. "Unfortunately it was all lost in the big hospital fire back in '54."

"Oh." Thomas replied, disappointed. "Well what about this Dr. Shepard? Is there any way you can tell me where he lives? I'd like to go out and talk to him."

Shirley smiled sadly. "I'm afraid the closest you are going to be able to get to Dr. Shepard anymore is by looking at that bust over there." She replied, nodding toward a marble likeness of the doctor in the waiting area, a copper colored plaque bolted onto the pedestal that supported it. "He passed some 10 years ago."

Feeling that he had arrived at a dead end, Thomas thanked Shirley, who showed her kindness by providing him with a phone number where she could be reached if he had any more questions. This despite the fact that she still had no clue as to what all the inquiries were about, but was polite enough not to ask.

As Shirley went back to her business Thomas made his exit from the nursery, pausing long enough to look at the bust of Dr. Shepard. Resigning himself to unanswered questions, he decided to read a little about the man whom he would never be able to question, but desperately wanted too.

Doctor Gregory Shepard

1907-1974

Dr. Shepard was one of the founders of what is today known as the Tri-County Hospital. He was specifically responsible for the establishment of the modern day maternal and infant care center, the first of its kind in this area of Georgia. During his tenure, Dr. Shepard delivered some 4000 infants and oversaw the operation of the infant care center, supervising the treatment and care of all patients admitted during a course of thirty years, from 1935 to 1965. In addition he made a great contribution to society, overseeing the adoption of almost 150 infants, relieving overcrowding at area orphanages and burden on taxpayers coins. Dr. Shepard is fondly remembered by the Tri-County Hospital staff.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Luke, git out there and see what's keeping' Thomas." Jesse said the next morning as the family surrounded the kitchen table, watching the food grow cold before their eyes.

"That's okay, Luke. I'll go." Daisy replied, jumping up before her cousin had the chance to argue. Pausing long enough to smooth hair that appeared wayward in the reflection of the chrome colored toaster, she opened the door and reddened slightly when she realized her family was watching her, realizing that they knew all to well what was going on.

"I do believe Daisy has the sweets on our farm hand." Luke commented with a grin before he sipped his milk.

"That she does, though I can't figure out if it's because she actually finds him attractive or if it's because of the fact that he's given no indication that he shows any special feelin's for her." Jesse replied, patting Bo's hand that rested on the table. "Don't suppose anybody in this room would know about the thrill of the chase, would they?" He asked jokingly, knowing that Bo had been known to pursue more than one girl that had displayed no immediate interest in him.

However, Bo still wasn't in much of a joking mood, and offered no more than a slight grin in response to his Uncle's good-natured teasing.

"You've been awful solemn since yesterday afternoon. You gonna tell me what's on yer mind or are ya gonna wait till my last three black hairs turn gray?" Jesse asked.

"Everything's fine." Bo simply replied. "Just thinkin' about what all has to be done around here today."

"Well best as I can recall most everything's took care of 'cept for gettin' the rest of the hay up in the loft and pickin' a new batch of corn. 'Course the corn's gonna take up most of the day but it shouldn't be anything that requires the amount of thinkin' you seem to be doin'."

"Mornin' everybody." Thomas said as he opened the door and moved to the side, allowing Daisy to enter first. "Sorry I kept you waiting."

"It's alright Thomas. Jist git in here and sit down so's we can git started."

After Thomas and Daisy had taken their places at the table, they all bowed their heads for the mealtime prayer just before the plates were passed around.

"Sorry to have disturbed yer sleep Thomas, but we hated to eat without you." Jesse commented.

"Oh I wasn't sleeping, I was picking corn." Thomas replied.

"Pickin' corn? Already?" Jesse asked.

"Didn't get much sleep last night. Got started on it soon as it was light out." Thomas replied, nodding toward the kitchen window.

Luke got up and moved the curtain aside in order to get a look at what Thomas was nodding about. There sat Jesse's pickup truck, fully weighed down with a load of corn.

"Why….." Luke trailed off, amazed by what he saw. "You've got the truck full as it can be. You must be a super picker or somethin'."

"Well I actually started on it last night." Thomas confessed. "There was still about an hours worth of light left when I announced I's turnin' in."

"That's good Thomas." Jesse smiled, pleased with the work. "That should cover what Lewis wanted to buy from us to sell over at the Cleveland Farmer's Market. That means all that's left for you boys to do today is ta finish stackin' that hay in the loft."

"Actually, I've already started on that too." Thomas admitted.

As the family looked at him in amazement, he continued. "Well like I said, I didn't sleep too much last night. It shouldn't take me too long to finish it up, if ya'll had anything else you needed to do, Bo 'nd Luke."

"Well how about that?" Jesse grinned. "Looks like you boys got yourselves some time freed up to work on winnin' that Hatchapee County race. That oughta make you happy, Bo."

"Uh, yeah that's great." Bo said, forcing a small smile.

As the group fell into silence to eat, Jesse noticed that a lot more of Bo and Thomas's servings were being pushed around on their plates rather than going in their mouths. By the time the meal was over, it was safe to say neither had eaten very much.

Soon Daisy was on her way to the Boar's Nest while Bo and Luke made their way out to the garage, intent on asking Cooter to give the General a thorough inspection.

"I'm gonna go finish stacking that hay, Mr. Duke." Thomas announced as soon as the others had left.

"Jist hang on a minute." Jesse replied, following Thomas as he hopped to the back porch with his crutches. "I wanna talk to you. Sit down over there." He added, lifting one crutch and using it to point to the white weathered porch swing.

Reluctantly, Thomas took the place on the swing that Jesse had indicated, wondering what he wanted. After a few more hops, Jesse turned to sit in the swing himself, Thomas taking the crutches and assisting him.

"Thank ya." Jesse replied as soon as he was comfortably seated.

"There somethin' wrong with the work I'm doin'?" Thomas asked.

"Oh no no, nothin' like that. Your work is…………well it's excellent." Jesse admitted in thought. "We're gonna hafta see about gettin' you a little pay fer it."

"I told you back at the beginning that I'm working for meals, and that's all the pay I intend to receive." Thomas argued.

"Well I appreciate it, but that ain't what I wanted to talk to you about." Jesse replied. "Now Bo's been actin' all strange since yesterday afternoon and you, well, you ain't actin' much better. Ya been up all night workin' and neither one of ya eat enough this mornin' ta feed a bird. I's just wonderin' if ya'll got in some sort of spat I don't know about."

"Oh no sir." Thomas shook his head. "I'm not sure what's wrong with Bo, but I assure you our problems don't have anything to do with each other."

"Well since you don't know what his problem is, perhaps you can tell me what yours is about." Jesse suggested.

"I don't think that's a very good idea." Thomas replied, shaking his head before he put it down.

"Listen here boy." Jesse replied, placing a hand on the back of his neck. "I know you're jist with us temporary and all that, but as long as yer restin' your head on Duke property you're an honorary member of the family. And despite how my nephew's been actin', in our family we generally share our problems with each other so's we can all work together to sort things out. So whatever it is, I wanna help ya, 'specially if it has anything to do with Tommy."

"I….I don't wanna……" Thomas began. He then heaved a sigh and looked at Jesse. "You're a kind man Mr. Duke. I don't wanna mess things up for you."

Jesse shook his head. "There ain't no way you can mess nothin' up for me, not by tellin' me your problems."

"I beg to differ." Thomas replied.

"Well why don't ya jist tell me then and let me decide that for myself 'fore I worry myself into a tizzy thinkin' somthin's wrong with Tommy."

Thomas nodded and swallowed. "Okay. Since you asked, it does have somethin' to do with Tommy."

"Well what is it?" Jesse asked with concern.

Thomas shook his head again. "I just don't know how you'd feel. Maybe it would be better if we waited till Bo, Luke, or Daisy got back so's they could sit with you."

"I'm gonna keel over from an anxiety attack 'fore they get back if you don't tell me what's goin' on!" Jesse insisted. "Now what is it? What's wrong with Tommy?"

"Nothing's wrong with him sir." Thomas replied, reaching down to unlace a shoe before he removed it along with the sock he was wearing. Moving his foot forward, he showed Jesse the foot with two fused toes.

"I was just wondering how you would feel if I told you there's a possibility Tommy might be your grandson."

If I didn't know Jesse any better, I'd feel like we just might see that anxiety attack anyway.