Emerita Boxing Day, page 7
Doc frowned as the knowledge came to him. Liver problems? I’d bet from alcohol. I’m not seeing any other underlying condition, he thought, pushing healing into the troubled area. No other major problems. Ah, I can clear up that cold he has coming on, too.
Franklin swallowed as memories came back to him— the warmth of his mother rocking him to sleep when he was sick as a child. She’d read from one of her books until he nodded off.
“How much do you drink?” Doc asked as the glow faded.
“Huh?” Franklin asked, coughing to clear his throat. He had to blink rapidly to keep the tears from falling.
“How much do you drink?” Doc asked again.
“I… don’t know…? As much as the next man, maybe?”
“I believe your trouble was from drinking too much. Your liver, the organ that filters toxins, was shutting down. I’d suggest you moderate your intake. Have a couple of cups of something other than alcohol a day. You also had the beginnings of a cold, so I healed that, too.”
Franklin sat blinking at Doc for a long moment. Now that he thought about it, over the last couple of years, he had been drinking alcohol most of the day, every day. The pain he’d felt was gone. He was hungry, and felt rejuvenated. “I see… I’ll do as you say, Doc. Umm… that’s your given name?”
“I came into this world with that name,” Doc grinned. “One could say I have a calling.”
Franklin chuckled. “I guess you do. Lady Luck, you said?”
“Just say a prayer in her name and we’re square,” Doc said. “Glad I can help. I’m curious, though: as the branch manager of the Emerita First National, why haven’t I seen you at the opera house?”
“I hate the pomposity,” Franklin said, waving his hand. “Not being married makes it easier to decline social invitations, as well.”
“Fair enough,” Doc said.
The two men shook hands and exchanged goodbyes before Doc took his seat again. “What do you think, Weed?”
“He is an honest man who is loyal to David. The reason he doesn’t do social gatherings is that he… doesn’t like women. He has hidden that aspect of his life, as Apoc has very harsh views on it.”
“Ah, yes. That’s understandable.”
The knock on the door made Doc stand back up. The person who entered was someone he’d seen before, but the young woman was still hesitant as she crossed the room toward him.
“Miss, how can I help you today?” Doc asked softly.
The rat bestial chewed her lip, glancing from him to Rosa, then back. “Y-you m-mentioned… h-help?”
Doc took his seat, motioning her to the one across from him. She could sit in comfort, as she still had enough of a stub of her rat tail to cause problems with some chairs. “Yes. If you need help beyond healing, we can find something for you. Is someone hurting you?”
Flinching, the young woman’s mind flashed through all the abuse she’d endured over the years. “N-not any o-one person…” she whispered, her stutter still clear in her voice.
“Okay. I’m sure we can find a position for you in one of the many businesses I have. Do you have any skills?”
She shook her head, near to tears that she’d come to beg for help and was still useless.
“What’s your name?” Doc asked gently, seeing her draw further in on herself.
“Olka, b-but m-most call m-me T-t-trash.”
“Olka? That’s a nice name,” Doc said. “Weed, where can we place her?”
Rosa smiled softly, rubbing her cheeks against his knee. “Mizzi could find a spot for her at the manor. Ginger was thinking that we could use more cleaning staff here, but she hasn’t brought it up to management yet.”
“Olka, do either of those sound good to you?”
“M-m-manor?” Olka asked, glancing up briefly.
“I have a manor on the outskirts of the city. Most of the staff are like you. The conditions are good, and everyone either has their own room or shares one with one other person. Food is part of the job, as well, but it’d mean manual labor… possibly laundry or cleaning. For here, it would be cleaning during the slow hours of late night to early morning.”
“M-my o-own room?” Olka asked with wide eyes, staring at Doc in shock.
“You’d share with the laundry maid,” Rosa said, “but it would be a room about this size. The chef makes two meals a day for the staff. They are very filling and delicious.”
Olka’s mind whirled at what she was being told. It sounded like heaven to her, and that made her hope become fear.
“It isn’t a lie, nor a trap,” Doc told her, seeing the wonder and hope die in her eyes. “You’ve been lied to, mistreated, and abused so much that my words are probably not enough. The choice is yours, but if you want to ask others about me to hear from them who I am, that’s fine. My name is Doc Holyday. If you want to take the chance, come back and speak with me any day I’m in.”
Olka nodded slowly before she got to her feet. When Doc didn’t try to stop her, she began to back toward the door.
“I hope you come back,” Doc said softly.
Olka left a moment later. A second after she did, Harrid came into the room. “She didn’t run away this time,” he said, “but she still looked spooked.”
“She wants help, but can’t trust people,” Doc said sadly.
“Ohhh, yes, that explains it. I could ask Ginger to speak with her.”
Doc considered it, then nodded. “Please? I’d like to see her no longer have to live in fear.”
“I’ll be back when the next patient comes in,” Harrid said before stepping out of the room.
“She’s lived on the streets since she was a child. Everyone, including some other bestials, treated her as garbage. No friends, no place to call her own… she’s broken in many ways, Voice.”
“That’s what I thought,” Doc sighed, stroking Rosa’s hair. “Will she come back?”
“She was eager, hopeful, and almost agreed, but the offer looked too good to her, so it had to be a trap. She thinks that you would abuse her as badly as others have. Once she hears what you have done and are doing… yes. She’ll come back in time.”
“We should let Mizzi and Fiala know, then,” Doc said.
“I’ll make sure they’re told, Voice.”
“Thank you, Weed.”
Rosa beamed. She closed her eyes and enjoyed this moment with him.
Chapter Ten
Dodd’s office wasn’t on the main thoroughfare, but on a side street. The building wasn’t grand or impressive— it looked a lot like its neighbors. The only difference were the ornate windows with a frosted glass etching, declaring it as Dodd’s office.
The front door had an open sign hanging in the window, so they walked in. A young woman sat behind a desk in the front room; she looked up and gave them a smile, her wolf ears quivering slightly. Her eyes widened when she saw Rosa behind Doc, stopping her from greeting them.
“Good afternoon, miss,” Doc said, pulling out his card case. “I’m Doc Holyday. Governor Dodd left me his card yesterday. I was here to see if he had time for me.”
“Oh, Mr. Holyday. Let me go check.” The bestial got to her feet quickly. “Please, have a seat. I’ll be right back.”
Doc took a seat in one of the padded chairs. Rosa went to kneel beside him as usual, and Harrid took up position behind Doc. It only took a couple of minutes for the bestial to return. “If you’ll follow me, sir, the governor will see you now.”
Doc rose to his feet. “I’m right behind you, Miss…?”
“Ms. Packner, sir.”
“Thank you. I always feel better having names to go with faces.”
“I’m just his secretary, sir.”
“Which makes you important,” Doc said, trailing her down the hall. “You keep his calendar and are the one who checks to see if he’s available.”
Packner’s lips twitched when she glanced back. “That’s very nice of you to say, sir.”
“I’d never upset the one who deals with the paperwork or the calendar,” Doc chuckled, “but that’s also just my honest opinion.”
Reaching the last door in the hall, she knocked once before opening it. “Governor Dodd, your guest, Mr. Holyday.”
Dodd was on his feet, smiling, when Doc entered the room. “Holyday, you’re prompt to return my visit.”
“Well, Governor, I had some things I was going to see you about, so finding your card this morning was a stroke of luck.”
Dodd chuckled. “From what I hear, that might be a given for you.”
“True enough,” Doc smiled as he shook hands with Dodd. “I’m curious what brought you by the Silver Lily.”
Dodd glanced at Rosa as they took their seats before returning his attention to Doc. “I’ve been hearing that a lot of work is being done out toward your property. You purchased the land between your manor and the city. Word is that it’s being planned out to make a community for the less fortunate?”
“It’s true. Roquefell and I have gone in equally in a philanthropic endeavor. I already have workers out there, and just made sure that I have a city planner who can design the entire community. This way, they’ll have everything they need close at hand.”
“You’re making another city right beside Furden?” Dodd asked, a hint of displeasure to his tone.
“Another city?” Doc laughed. “Who would’ve said that? It’ll be part of Furden— an offshoot of it, maybe— but still part of the greater Furden region. There won’t be another mayor for it or anything like that.”
Dodd sat back, his lips pursed. “I see… A trusted associate made it sound like you were trying to set up a second city to showcase your talents for when elections come around.”
“I have no aspirations for government office, not even when we become a full state. Tarbo is wanting to step onto that stage, and I’m never going to challenge you for the offices you hold.”
“I see…” Dodd murmured.
“I have no idea who’s been whispering false words in your ear, but my word to Lady Luck herself: political office isn’t in my cards.”
“Yet you have major business dealings in the works with Roquefell. It looks like you’re trying to gain more prestige and power to make a move here.”
Doc glanced at Rosa. She bowed her head, her finger tracing a word on his calf. “Nathanial, if I can be informal for a moment? My goddess doesn’t want me tied down to a single place. I’ll be moving on before a few years have passed. What I’m doing, everything I do, is in her name.”
“It’s true, then? You’re a prophet of a god?”
“Goddess, but yes. Apoc isn’t exactly happy with me. The priests here in town don’t seem to care… for the moment, at least. In time, there might be some attention paid, but by then, everything here will be settled and I’ll be on my way again.”
“Won’t that leave us to clean up the mess?”
“I doubt the church will cause trouble about houses, public works, and other things that don’t openly flout their views.”
“What about Heartwood’s Tears? As governor, I need to be concerned about that causing issues.”
“A small town centered around hot springs for people to visit? The name is just a nod to a tribe the government wiped out,” Doc said. There’d been a hint of anger touching his voice before he quashed it. “It would look bad if anyone tried to cause problems there; it would seem very targeted, which is something that can be pointed to.”
Dodd looked thoughtful. “It would bring in visitors?”
“More than you probably think— the waters there are amazing. It’ll reflect the lost tribe, which might also bring people interested in learning more about them. I would expect the community to become a major hub for tourists. In the meantime, I’m spending a lot of money to build up numerous areas in our fair territory.”
“You are. I had the preliminary reports of the purchases for land, including the rights for you to build railways to your properties. Just those were sizable expenditures. Your mine is the most profitable in the territory, having surpassed Tarbo’s silver mine.”
“Soul stones and mythrium have that effect on the bottom line,” Doc smiled.
“True, those are worth a lot of money. You seem to be spending a fair portion of it here, too… I guess I should be mindful of who is saying what to me.”
“I’m sure Strongarm has his reasons to speak poorly of me.”
Dodd’s face went blank; he was trying to hide his surprise, but he wasn’t a great poker player. “Strongarm? What makes you think it was him?”
“Besides myself and Roquefell, he’s the only other person with as much invested in the city. If he’s heard of my little community being built, there’s no doubt he’s worried. Easiest to point another at me to cause trouble.”
“I see. I have not confirmed it was him, but your point is taken.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to confirm,” Doc smiled. “I’m not interested in putting you in the middle of our squabble. You have other things on your plate.”
Brow furrowing, Dodd was trying to find Doc’s angle.
“How badly did the river flood?” Doc asked.
“Not as badly as it should have down by the bestials, but it was worse farther downstream from them. Why do you ask?”
“I mentioned it during the game— the fact that the area there by the river causes flooding is a problem for the city. People had to go back to boiling their water again, didn’t they?”
“That’s true every time the river floods.”
“I also asked if you’d be amenable to my setting up a fund for the work to be done; this way, money would be a non-issue.”
“And asked the dwarves to give a discount for it,” Dodd nodded, recalling their conversation.
“I’ll have a contract with the dwarves soon, once I have plans for the river finalized. When I do, I’d like to have another meeting where we can discuss the pros and cons of my ideas. It won’t cost the city a single cent, but it might mean needing your help to make sure the land being used is firmly tied to the city.”
“I can’t take all of his property,” Dodd said, thinking he’d finally figured out Doc’s motive.
“Wouldn’t ask you to. At most, he’d lose a few strips right next to the river to make sure the work is done and, if there’s another flood, that it doesn’t hurt other parts of the city. His remaining property would be untouched and would more than likely even grow in value.”
“You’d help a man who tried to cause you trouble?”
“Strongarm is just a bump in my road, not real trouble. Real trouble will come later when the powers that be finally take notice of me. I hope to be well out of Coalrud by then.”
“But what you’re suggesting would give him more profit.”
“Sure, but my other works will cost him more in the long run. He has no idea what my future plans mean. David— I mean Roquefell— and I are working together on major projects that’ll be worth more than everything Strongarm currently has or will ever have.”
Dodd stayed quiet, considering what this unassuming-looking man was telling him. Doc had barely been in Furden for a month, but in that time, the city started to feel like it revolved around him.
“You do know he’s a shareholder in Western Expansion, right?” Dodd asked.
“I’ve heard mention that he was part of the company. They run mail, coaches, and are a driving force in the telegraph. I’m sure he has power and money to spare… for now, at least.”
“I do have to say you are far more personable to talk with. Your wives are a delight, as well.”
“I’ve been blessed to have them in my life,” Doc smiled. “You’ve never brought a companion with you to any of the events. Not married?”
“Never found the right woman,” Dodd shrugged. “I have my ambitions, and that’s caused strife in the past. I’ll find someone in time, but I’m not seeking a wife for now.”
Rosa kept her head down, surprised by what Dodd was thinking. She’d had no idea— she’d let Doc know later, but doubted it would work out.
“You also came to see me today,” Dodd said, transitioning the conversation. “What can I do for you today?”
“We’ve actually covered everything. I was going to explain my different ventures, see if you’d be willing to move on making the river better for the city, and then see what you had wanted to discuss.”
“Well then, it seems we’ve covered all the topics we’ve had.”
“Would you be interested in another game in the future?” Doc asked. “We can’t invite Steward, not with what happened to him, but I’m sure we can fill in another player.”
