Chapter 1

It was what I hated about 'shortcuts', I always get lost. Even following my GPS, the best money could buy I was told; they never seemed to have the dirt roads those 'shortcuts' took me on.

I finally did something that is anathema to us male car pilots, I stopped and asked for, you got it, directions; several times, it turned out. Was I in despair? Hell yeah I was. My 'tum-tum' was telling me that it was as empty as the car was going to be shortly.

Now one normally does not expect a kid to know a whole lot of things. When I saw her walking alongside the road, I pulled ahead and got out of my car. As I mentioned I was getting a might desperate and she was the first and only living soul I had seen for thirty minutes, so yep, I would ask her.

I got out of 'Betsy', my 'BMW', the new 7 series for 2016, and stepped away a bit; as not to scare her, I knelt down.

"Hon, I hate to admit this but I don't think I know where I am or how to get to where I am going. Could you at least tell me how to best get to I-64 or even Route 33. I don't think I have much gas left. I have been trying to get out of here for a while now. All I seem to is keep ending up by a lake."

"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers, Mister!"

'Oh great!' I thought. 'Just what I need now, a kid that listens to her parents.'

I had a retort. "But I suppose they allow you to walk along a deserted road, alone. Huh?"

"It isn't a 'desert', you and me are here. Besides, I need to get more 'Medcine', see?" She held out a bottle. I had a name, RX number, something not in American (Latin) and, Tah-Deh-Dah a telephone number of a pharmacy, the Buford Road Pharmacy. "Sec, hon, let me call them?" I took out my cell; it had one bar, maybe two if I held it just right.

I called; the pharmacy answered. I gave them the information on the bottle and handed the phone to the girl. After finding out that town was still five or so miles away I had, what I thought was a brilliant idea. "Ask them if they can deliver it. It is a long way to walk."

"Can you deliver Please, Sis is really sick. Oh! They said there is a extra charge and want 'my' credit card number. Mister I don't have a credit card?"

Like all women, when it is time to pay, 'no credit card'. "Hon, let me speak to them." Long story short, my credit card, the bill all paid for, a $25 tip and promise of even more if someone would bring it over in thirty minutes got a 'Yes Sir!'

That age old, 'finger nail polishing' act on my chest we men had, seemed right just now. "Okay, little one, someone is coming right out and the 'check is in the mail' too." I handed her another $25. "Here give this to them if they do bring it by, let's say, by 10:30 or so. You better get home now, but first can you give me instructions on how to get somewhere where I can get gas and food?"

"You're silly! You just go about a mile down this road, past the lane to my house. The road to Route 33 is on the left about a mile further past the road to my house." She pointed down the road, towards the direction I had just come. I had been heading in the opposite direction.

"I give! Although you are such a beautiful girl, it will difficult not to run away with you. If I promise not to and we keep the windows open and the doors unlocked in the car, will you let me drive you home?"

By the look on her face, we now were close to having a new 'Game' show called 'What To Do!' where a contestant has to choose between being called 'beautiful' or listening to the age old warning of a parent or guardian not to go with 'STRANGERS'. Can you guess what she decided?

It probably wasn't fair. It seems girls of any age had some kind of pact or a built in 'truth radar' when meeting a man who called them beautiful.

"If I get scared or something, you 'gotta' stop and let me out and walk, Okay?"

"Tell you what! I'll drive real slowly, you don't have to put your seat belts on and, by the way; what is your name?"

"But you 'gotta' let me out if I get scared. My name is Beth!"

"Hello Beth! My name is Bob, Bob Matthews. Inside the glove box in the car is my registration, it has my name on it. Here are the keys to the car and a remote. Press this button two times and it will unlock the passenger side door. Open it but don't get in the car yet, until you check what things I'm telling you are true."

"I, ... I can't really 'read' much without my glasses Mr. Bob."

'Okay!' I thought. 'Now what?'

"Hon! I have another fine idea. What if we called that Pharmacy, you tell them my name, license number, which I hand you, the car's tag number and tell them where we are going. The delivery person can verify that I took you right home and did not run away with you. We can call them when you get home too and you can tell them you are Okay."

"We ain't got a phone."

"Here, hold onto my cell, just depress re-dial it is the same number we called to get the prescription filled at the Pharmacy."

I could see the 'decision making' on her face. The thought I had about this time was that 'If I ever had a kid, this girl was the perfect model for 'child safety'.

She took the cell and called. The delivery was on its way. I took my info back from her, she must have melted the heart of the person because when she handed me back the cell she said; "She wants to talk to you."

I took the cell back.

"Yes, this is Bob Mathews, and 'No', I am not being held against my will, but I have a small angel here that has captured my heart. I am sorry if we bothered you but Miss Beth here had to be safe and getting into a stranger's car did not rank as an everyday experience for her. No, thank you for caring; I did not know what else to do."

She handed me back the keys. I should have known by the smile on her face that I was in 'trouble', big 'Trouble' with a capital 'T'.

"This is my first 'date'. Does this mean I am your 'girlfriend' now?"

The hand to the eyes as I started the car was ostensibly wiping away dust. "Yes, now you have to do everything I say."

She settled back in a seat that made her look more like a package than a passenger. Her little hand slowly, tentatively found its way to my arm. If she were a few years older maybe, she would have stolen my heart and been a 'Replacement' wife.

I kept the speed at 25 or 30 MPH (40 to 49 km per hour for you Right Ponders and Canadians). Even so, like in a few minutes she said her house was down this road.

"Do you want to get out here or can I take you all the way home?"

She just nodded. It seemed that Miss Beth was not in a hurry to leave me, just yet.

We went up the road, it was not that far but for her age this and where I found her had to be tiring to walk. It is easy to forget just how much a car or phone can make life so much easier.

Pulling in we saw a ' cloud of dust' and no, there was no one riding a horse and wearing a mask. "The 'Medcine' is here," she said.

I pulled out my cell, hit re-dial, reached in my pocket and gave the man two twenties as he handed her a small bag. "Thanks, really fast delivery!"

The cell call answered. "Pharmacy, Sheila speaking, how may we help you?"

"Hello, its Bob Matthews again, I just wanted to let you know Miss Beth is home, safe and sound. Your driver is just leaving. Thank you for such prompt service!"

"No problem at all. We aim to please our... ! Dr. Mathews, you know you are listed on the Internet, don't you. Your 29, divorced, no children and headed for 'parts unknown'. If little Miss Beth lets you go, I can show you some of the finer things here in Richmond."

'Damn, where was that 'Picture' thing when you needed it.' I thought.

"Not sure, I'll have to check with my 'girlfriend' she might have other plans? Miss Beth, the girl at the Pharmacy said if you had no more plans for me, she could show me some things."

By the look on her face, girls of any age had the same reaction to the idea of 'sharing a boyfriend'.

"Look. Ahhh, Sheila, right, Miss Beth has to get her sister's medicine, or as she calls it, 'Medcine' if my girlfriend 'dumps' me, I'll call you. I have your number." Joke. Caller ID and redial are 'GREAT'.

It was probably the correct thing to say, though calling Miss Beth 'my girlfriend' was not very smart of me.

She took my hand and pulled me inside. Nope, not the smartest thing I ever did, not by a 'long shot'.

She called it a house, but I might call it a shack or worse.

Inside was not much better. A girl, teen type, was lying on a couch.

"Sis, I got it, err 'we' got it."

No response!

I came closer to her. 'Sis' was burning up.

"Hon, go back to the car, use the remote and open the trunk with this button. Inside is a small bag and a larger one, bring the small bag here. Your sister has a high fever."

Sure enough, my assistant brought the bag in, 104 plus degrees and I was now going to make a house call. It seemed we got here none too soon.

"Hon, we need to get her fever down. I can start giving here something but we don't want her to go into shock with anything too cold. Can you bring me some water and two or three rags or washcloths? Oh, do you have some raw potatoes and a small knife, bring that too."

Long story short, a damp, cool cloth on the back of her neck, three slices of a raw potato to her forehead and a wet cloth wiping her face seemed to help a lot. Her temp had gone down, it was 102 soon, and heading to 101.

"Hon, in my gym bag, the larger bag in the trunk is a bottle of 'Gator' drink and some energy booster, bring those both in. We need her to drink some then we need to get her to a hospital. A high fever like she had is not good, but I think she will be Okay."

Miss Beth was now 'Nurse Beth' for her sister. She was coming around and sipping the drink. When she saw Beth's face, she smiled, then closed her eyes again.

"Hon! Wipe her face one more time, I need to go to my car and check my GPS ... wait, my phone has one too."

CJW Medical Center came up. It was not far, on Jahnke Road in Richmond.

"Hon! Can you get any cards, records or personal information like ID or insurance, we need to take your sister for some help."

"We, we ... got this when Mom and Dad had... !"

She was crying.

She handed me a small case, some stuff was inside. I handed her the phone and the case back.

"Okay, my 'Little Nurse' you are now doubling as navigator. You hold the phone, it will say which way to go, nothing for you to read. Hell, I hope I have enough gas though?"

"We got some outside in the barn I think."

Yep, 3 or 4 gallons in a Red can made a difference. I lifted her sister up, got her in the rear seat and had my assistant hold her up. What is your sister's name, 'girlfriend'?

It got her attention. "Mandy!"

We reached I-64, 'our' salvation. The GPS in the car was working again.

That extra gas was not needed; I guess the car had more than it showed.

When we got to the ER, it was a might busy. When I showed my ID and identified myself as a doctor, attitudes changed. They took her inside, 'STAT'. Inside the case were was some IDs, a Soc Number, a paper with names, her' was Mandy Saunders, a Virginia DL with another address on it but no Insurance card. I gave the nurse at the desk my credit Card. This was going to be an expensive day, maybe not though. The smile Miss Beth gave me was worth a whole lot more.

Long story short, two IVs, Glucose and Saline water, two antibiotics, one an injection, and they said as soon as things were 'normal' she could go home. 'Infection' maybe, they said! She was dehydrated to boot.