Beckett grinned and moved to the fridge, pulling out two Cherry Cokes. “That’s because you’re focused on stupid theory. Once you get behind the wheel, you’ll find the fun.”
I made a low humming noise in the back of my throat. It wasn’t agreement or disagreement, but I had my doubts about finding the joy in driving.
Beckett put slices of pizza on both our plates and carried them to the breakfast nook. “How was the rest of your day?”
I slowly lowered myself back into my chair. The muscles across my shoulders spasmed, and I knew I’d have a nasty bruise from the run-in with the man this morning. Walter Crichet. I’d finally remembered his name on my walk home. My head had been on a swivel the whole time, just waiting for him to pop out again.
“Addie?”
Beckett’s voice cut into my spiraling thoughts. “Sorry, what?”
Worry lined his face. “I asked how the rest of your day was.”
I force my mouth into a smile. “It was good. How about you? How was the rest of your time at the clinic?”
Beckett didn’t look like he especially believed me, but he didn’t call me on it. “Mine was good, too.” He paused for a moment, picking at his pizza. “I thought a lot about what you said. And I wanted to run an idea by you.”
Beckett’s words were hesitant as if he felt bad for bringing the subject up. “We can talk about it. I’m not going to break.”
“I know you won’t. I just hate that talking about where you grew up may cause you pain.”
“It’s worth it if it might help someone.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
I pulled my napkin into my lap and met Beckett’s gaze. “Tell me your idea.”
Beckett leaned back in his chair, plucking a pepperoni from his pizza and popping it into his mouth. “The organization I used to work for has some outreach programs here in the US. They will set up clinics in underserved areas or provide doctors and nurses with additional training. I was thinking about contacting them and seeing if I could set up one here in Wolf Gap.”
I broke off a piece of crust, tearing it into smaller pieces as I thought about his idea. “How would that be different than what you’re doing now? You’d
still have to get people on the fringes to come to you.”
Beckett shook his head as he chewed a bite of pizza. “I keep thinking about the barriers that stop people from coming in for care. If I can get Aid International to give me some funding, I can provide the services at no cost to the patients. The organization will cover supplies, medications, even a salary for me and possibly a nurse or social worker.”
“No cost would certainly help. A lot of the people who are wrapped up in that world are trying to stretch every penny.”
“I would need to find a way to go to them.”
I cut a bite of my veggie pizza slice. “A lot of them wouldn’t even let you onto their property.”
Beckett sighed, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. “I had a feeling that might be the case. There has to be somewhere I could set up where I could get on their radar. A place that’s on their turf but isn’t threatening in any way.”
An idea started forming in the back of my brain. “Have you ever been to The Trading Post?”
“Sure. We used to stop there on our way back from camping trips with my dad. Is it still there?”
I nodded. The small general store was miles outside of town and carried a little bit of everything. It was an unofficial meeting place for those who lived way out, especially those involved in the prepper community. “They have a sort of farmer’s market there on the weekends. You might be able to get a stall and set up a clinic there.”
Beckett’s expression brightened as he mulled it over. “It would mean getting more supplies, but I wouldn’t have to rent an actual office, so it could work.”
“It’ll take time to gain people’s trust, though. You can’t simply open one day and expect to have a full roster.”
“I know. I’ve done this kind of work before. Trust isn’t something you can demand. You have to earn it.”
Maybe it was Beckett’s intrinsic knowledge of how trust worked that had helped him gain mine so quickly. “Can I help?”
His eyes flared. “You sure you want to put yourself back in that world?”