Lottie fixed Harry a large bowl of beef stew, along with a plate of bread with butter, and set them down before him at a table in the saloon. She had lit a few of the lamps she had just turned down, so that she could see Harry's face... Try to read his expressions better. She poured him a glass of whisky, and poured another glass for herself, making hers a double.

"I never thought I'd see you again, Harry."

Harry gave a short, ironic laugh. "I never thought I'd see the outside of a prison cell again. When they sent me to McNeil Prison, I thought my life was over." His voice trailed off, and his eyes became focused on a scratch on the surface of the table. He picked unconsciously at the gouge and took a deep breath.

It's a miserable place... And a miserable life there, but I tried to be..." Harry seemed to struggle with the word. "...useful." His brows furrowed as he processed his thoughts. "To find some kind of meaning to my life. And that's all because of you, Carlotta." Harry's eyes rose to meet Lottie's, and the sorrow in them was palpable.

Lottie had tears pricking at her own eyes. She could not find words.

"When a fellow prisoner would fall ill or suffered a small injury, I tried to help, using the knowledge from my time in medical school years ago. The prison doctor, a fellow named Doc Bradford, heard what I had been doing and about my skills. You gave me the push I needed those years ago when you forced me into helping deliver that minister's baby."

"Forced you?" Lottie said, giving Harry a doubting look.

Harry laughed softly. "Alright, strongly encouraged" he answered, a small smile crossing his face.

"You saved that girl's life, Harry. And that of her baby."

"And YOU saved MY life, Carlotta. When the cholera epidemic broke out in prison, Doc Bradford didn't have enough help to care for all the people falling ill – prisoners, guards... the disease didn't discriminate. The Warden was still under the belief that cholera was caused by miasma, rather than the newly-accepted notion that it was caused by unsanitary conditions." The food and whisky were giving Harry a little more strength. He would need it as he continued with his story.

Doc Bradshaw went to the Warden and requested extra help. No one from the community would set foot inside the prison to help, fearing they would contract cholera. We were on our own. In the face of such dismal odds, the Doc begged the Warden to let me help him with the endless flow of patients." He took another sip of whisky before he continued.

"I think the tipping point came when the prison warden's two children came down with it. Cholera is particularly hard on the young. It's very difficult to see a child suffer." Harry's eyes seemed to focus on something long ago and far away.

Lottie could see Harry's eyes getting misty. She reached out and took his hand in hers. She knew he was remembering his 7-year old daughter who died tragically young many years ago. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze that brought Harry back to the present. Harry took a deep drink from his glass of whisky. Lottie reached for the bottle and poured more of the amber liquid into Harry's glass. Harry closed his eyes for a few seconds, opened them again, and shook his head once, trying to clear the horrific memories from his head. He gave Lottie a brief smile and continued on.

"After convincing the Warden that the cause was the unsanitary water well and not the air, we were finally able to focus on keeping the patients alive, keeping them hydrated with safe water, instigating strict sanitation practices, preventing the further spread of the disease, and saving countless lives."

Harry nodded to himself, the feeling of satisfaction plain to see.

"Then I found myself being recommended for commutation of my sentence by the Warden and Bradshaw as a way of repaying me for the help I'd rendered during the epidemic. I was, needless to say, speechless! It was hard to process that when you've been sentenced to life in prison." Harry stretched his legs out under the table to ease the tension in his muscles that had built up and let out a sigh.

"But now I'm faced with a rather large decision. What do I do now?" He shook his head and looked down at the table.

Lottie noticed Harry had finished his food and drink, but he looked exhausted. "Well, I don't know what you're going to do long-term, but for tonight, I've got a nice room for you to stay in. You need rest tonight, Harry. We'll talk some more in the morning." She took his hand and led Harry up the stairs to one of her guestrooms. While she was getting him fresh towels and water in the ewer to clean up from his travels, Harry lay down wearily on the bed and promptly fell asleep. Lottie gently took his boots off and loosened his tie to make him more comfortable. She bent down and lightly kissed his cheek, murmuring, "Harry, what are we going to do now?"

She turned down the lamp and quietly closed the door.