Cora bit her lip. “I can try.”
I met her gaze. “Do what you can. His fever was dangerously high, and children can die from these sorts of infections. I’m not trying to scare you, but you need to know the truth.”
Tears slid down her cheeks. “I’ll bring him back.”
“If you need help, just call the office. I can make a house call on the weekends if that’s easier.”
Cora’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. “N-no. I’ll bring him in.”
“Okay. Let me go get those meds.”
As I slid into the empty chair at the Wolf Gap Bar & Grill, my brother slid a soda in my direction.
“You look a little worse for wear.”
“Long morning.” I took a pull from the Coke and practically sighed. If only it had a kick of Jack to go with it.
Calder shoved a plate of nachos in my direction. “Feed yourself. That always helps me.”
I took a cheesy chip and shoved it into my mouth. I almost groaned. “Man, I missed these.”
“Nothing like the food from home,” Hayes muttered.
Calder lifted his glass. “Amen to that.”
Hayes turned his focus to me. “Everything okay?”
“Not sure about that.” I was quiet for a moment, weighing what I could and couldn’t say. “Are the Maxwells part of that whole community the Kempers are wrapped up in?”
“Cora and Brandon?” Hayes asked.
“Yeah.”
His eyes narrowed a fraction. “Yeah. Brandon works for Allen.”
Of course, he did. They sounded like two peas in the same messed-up pod. There was a strong community of preppers, those who liked to live off the grid, in and around Wolf Gap. The majority of them simply wanted to be able to provide for their families and protect them if the worst happened. But a subset of the group acted more like a paranoid militia, and that was exactly who the Kempers identified with. The thought of that sweet toddler growing up in that world, being put through what Addie had been…it made me nauseous.
“Did one of them come into the clinic?” Hayes pushed.
“You know I can’t share that kind of thing. But you could fill me in on them as a whole. Is it the same as it’s always been?”
“Pretty much,” Calder offered, eyeing Hayes. “After Ian went to jail, a few of Allen’s inner circle started keeping their distance. But for the most part, people stayed. They think Hayes is using the law for his own agenda.”
Nothing could be more of an insult to my brother. He gave his all to make sure the people in his county were safe.
“What about medical care?” I asked.
Hayes shook his head. “There’s a real focus on being self-sufficient within the Kemper crew. They see getting medical help as a weakness.”
“That’s idiotic.”
Calder grabbed a nacho and popped it into his mouth. “You don’t have to tell us. I have zero desire to die of gangrene or anything else preventable.”
The system was broken in so many ways, but that didn’t mean you should avoid it altogether. Wolf Gap had always been a place to help those who needed it, and it shocked me that a whole group of people might not be getting medical care. It twisted my insides to think that was how Addie had grown up. The idea of her hurting or sick with no one to help her lit a rage in my gut that shocked me.
“You all right, Beck?” Hayes asked.
“Yeah, sorry. You know this stuff pisses me off.”