Aaron

They all looked at each other. The owners of the B&B, Mary and Bill, were nodding and looking as if they were suddenly close medical associates and fully understood the intricacies of surgery.

"Doctor, are you going back to work soon in...ah, Albany?"

"No, I quit my job at the hospital there. I'm taking a break. That's why I'm here in Ireland."

More nodding and concerned looks amongst the assembly. We had been joined by the female police Constable from the station, the day before. The same one that was trying to do CPR on Sergeant O'Boyle.

I pointed at her and said, "This young lady did a great job of administering CPR to Sergeant O'Boyle." I nodded towards the Constable. "I'm sure that she could have done just fine without me."

The Constable blushed mightily and smiled. The rest all laughed and nodded at her.

The mayor looked back at me and continued. "Doctor Brown, I would really like to talk with you in private at my office if I might. I have a matter of some importance to discuss with you." The tone she used indicated that this wasn't really a meeting I could avoid, although I had no clue what she wanted to talk about.

"Certainly, when would you like me to come by your office?"

"Tomorrow morning would be the best time. I'm certain that you will have plenty to do today and I don't want to infringe on your sight-seeing time."

With that we all shook hands and they departed. The Constable was the last to go and was giving knowing glances at me and the B&B proprietors. I had no idea what the fuck was going on. Maybe it was an Irish thing.

But I would soon find out.

**********

Okay, Ireland is a very different place than what I was used to at home in the U.S. The Emerald Isle, as it's called, is called that because everything is so green, especially in the summertime. It was now September and the tourists had pretty much cleared out, so traffic on the roads was a lot less. That meant it was a lot easier to get around. I was slowly making my way around the country, stopping off in small towns and staying for a day or two while I explored the local area.

The people are generally friendly and the hospitality is good. The food is good and the beer is cold. Guinness is like Irish Mothers Milk. The national drink.

I spent the day resting up at the B&B and went for a walk in the afternoon. The sleep that I got after my visits from Mrs. O'Boyle and the mayor and her people was much needed. I limited my beer intake to one pint that night with my supper.

The next morning, I was up early and after breakfast I walked over to the mayor's office. I was greeted by another lady who clearly knew that I was coming. "You must be that American doctor." She said it more as a statement of fact, than a question. I nodded.

"The mayor will be here in just a moment, so please have a seat." Seems that I had arrived earlier than the mayor. I sat and awaited her arrival. It was only a few minutes during which I sat and pondered what I was going to do that day.

I was deep in thought when I was interrupted..." Doctor Brown, Doctor Brown, the mayor is here, go on in."

"Thanks." I went in and was greeted by Her Worship and ushered to a seat on a sofa. Coffee was ordered and the niceties of the day reviewed.

"Did you have a good evening, Doctor Brown?"

"Ah, yes. A quiet night. Supper at the pub was very nice. I apologized to the pub owner, for my behaviour Saturday evening, if that is what this is about. I told him that I've been going through a difficult time on a personal level and sadly consumed way too much beer and then got boisterous and passed out. He was very gracious and even bought me supper and a pint for my efforts on behalf of Sergeant O'Boyle."

She was nodding at me, I continued with what I thought she wanted to hear, "I'll be leaving later today, if that's your concern."

"Oh, that's not what I asked you to come here to talk about."

Okay...what the heck did she want. "So, I'm a bit confused now. If you aren't concerned with seeing me leave your nice town, what is it that you want to talk about?"

"Well, Doctor Brown, I have a problem that I need your help with."

I looked at her with my most puzzled expression. "Just how can I be of help to Castleroy?"

"Well, Doctor Brown, you're a doctor who is not currently under contract in America, and Castleroy is a town that needs a doctor. At least for a few weeks until the government in Dublin gets off its arse and finds a replacement for Doctor Kennedy, who retired and left for South Africa."

"Huh? You want what? You want to hire me to be your local doc?"

"Yes, that's essentially the proposition. We desperately need a doctor in the area. The closest doctor is in Tralee, almost an hour away and we have a lot of fine folks that would be forever in your debt if you could see it in your heart to help us and stay for a few weeks. The Department of Health in Dublin says that they'll have a replacement sent down, but it could take a while, so you can see that in the interim, we need your help."

"Jesus. Sorry...I'm not sure that I'm your man, or in this case, your doctor. I'm a surgeon and if I am getting this right, what you need is a family medicine doc."

"Doctor Brown, right now, I'll take whomever I can get. You, sir are the godsend that we need."

"I...I don't know..."

"Please think about it, but don't take too long. We need you."

**********

Mary Johnson (Mayor of Castleroy)

I've spent hours on the phone to the geniuses in Dublin that assign doctors around the country and they tell me that it could be a year or more before we see a doctor for the area again. Doctor Kennedy was in his eighties and starting to be extremely forgetful. His daughter took him to South Africa to live with her and her husband. They figure that he isn't far from the nursing home. So, I've been on the phone checking out the American gift dropped in our laps.

It's amazing what the Garda can find out when they're motivated enough. It only took a night to get a quick dossier on Doctor Brown. I know that he graduated in the top third of his class at medical school in New York State and that he's a board-certified surgeon. I also know a bit about his personal life and I can sympathize with the abhorrent way that his wife treated him. No wonder the man got drunk in the pub.

I have to dangle some sort of incentive in front of the man to convince him to stay with us for a few months. I have a plan.

I also have emergency permission from the Department of Health for Doctor Aaron Brown to practice medicine in Ireland. Take that you government...whatever's.

**********

Constable Amelia Kelly (Castleroy Garda)

I saw Doctor Brown coming out of the mayor's offices and walked in his direction. I was technically off duty so was out of uniform. I had dressed in my best casual outfit with a white blouse, my tightest jeans and some high heel boots. My hair was down today and I put on a bit of makeup. Yes, I was trying to be as alluring as I could be this morning. I'm only 27 and I'm about 5' 8'' tall and I weigh in at just over nine-stone. I'm a runner and I'm very fit, to be honest.

"Doctor Brown!" I shouted from a distance. He swiveled his head around to look where his name was being called from. I walked over to him.

"Doctor Brown! Good morning. Fancy meeting you here this morning."

I stuck out my hand. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Amelia Kelly. I'm the Constable that helped you when you saved Sergeant O'Boyle."

**********

Aaron

Oh. My. God. Garda uniforms do a fine job of disguising people. I wouldn't have recognized this woman if she didn't tell me who she was and where she worked. I must admit that the first time I met her was marked by a degree of...foggy chaos... at the police station and then when she later turned up at the B&B she was in uniform. At the time my attention was taken by the mayor and her...people. That, and I confess, I was somewhat hung-over. That's an understatement; I was badly hung-over.

This woman, Amelia, is...gorgeous. Her hair is red and comes down over her shoulders and her face is a beautiful ruddy complexion and her figure is...perfect. Wow. How did I not see her before. Distracted I suppose.

Amelia Kelly is runway-model beautiful. She's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition beautiful. What the hell is she doing working as a police officer.

**********

Amelia Kelly

Doctor Brown looked much better than the last time I saw him. I've seen lots of men get drunk and end up in the goal for the night and then go home the next day. They all have the same disheveled look and are usually embarrassed, to a measure. But Doctor Brown got rid of his drunken after-effects very quickly when he was needed to help Sergeant O'Boyle. No, Doctor Brown was fully engaged and knew what had to be done. I was trying to help but forgot all about that electronic defib thing and probably would have meant that the Sergeant would have died. It was indeed good for the Sergeant that Doctor Brown had too much to drink in the pub the night before.

He's a fine-looking man. The mayor had us do some research on him and I know that he left a wife behind in America. She was 'seeing' some other man and supposedly got pregnant and had his baby. Doctor Brown thought it was his until the child was born and then the proof was in pudding, as they say.

The mayor confided her grand scheme and I was the one that made the calls to Dublin and got a quick report on Doctor Brown. So, I know a bit more about him than he realizes.

**********

Aaron

My god, this woman is...I don't know what the hell to say. She's probably the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen. We all have our ideas about beauty. Amelia Kelly defines for me what is beauty. I couldn't look away. I shook my head a bit to make sure that my eyes were working right. They were.

"So, Doctor Brown, are you off to another part of Ireland today?"

My brain had a number of things to say, but it wasn't connecting well with my vocal cords and mouth, so the net effect was a mumbled, "Ah...well...ah, I'm not sure my plan just yet." Why was I starting to sweat?

"I may go and see Sergeant O'Boyle at the hospital and then I planned to drive the Ring of Kerry. I hear it's well worth the trip."

She smiled at me, "Oh, I was just going up to Tralee to see Gerry, would you like to drive with me?"

How could I resist. "Well, I don't want to inconvenience you..."

"Tis no bother at all. I'd love to have the company for the drive."

We walked to where her car was parked. She drives a VW Golf. I find the driving on the left a bit odd, but when you're on a motorcycle, for some reason, it's not as freaky. But that's just me.

The drive to Tralee only took about 45 minutes but I do not have a clue what we passed by on the way there. I was looking at Amelia. I chatted her up trying to learn as much as I could about her. I was trying not to appear that I wasn't an idiot as I stumbled over my words.

Seems that she grew up in Castleroy and her father is one of the local barristers. Her mother was a stay-at-home mother, raising her and her two brothers. Her family lived a few miles away in the country and she lives in a flat in the town, not that far from the police station. She's 27 years old and plans to go to law school but wanted to get some experience with the law as a police officer first.

I also learned that she's single and doesn't currently have a boyfriend. She was engaged for a sort time to a lad who was a semi-pro footballer, but he got an offer to play for a team in Spain and it all ended. That and it seems he found Spanish women very attractive.

We visited Sergeant O'Boyle and chatted with him for a few minutes. He learned from his wife, and other visitors, that I had heroically saved him from the grip of certain death. He pledged to lay off the fried foods and beer, and to lose at least four stone and get in shape. Why, he was certain that by next year he would be running half-marathons. Looking at him, I wasn't so sure. We'll see if he's able to do that.

Amelia told me, after we left him, that the Inspector came up from Killarney, told Gerry that he had to lose a bunch of weight or they were going to forcibly retire him early. Gerry needs the money, for his pension, so he really has no choice but to get fit. His wife will crack the whip and work him until he gives in.

Now, Tralee is not exactly a huge place, but it does have two hospitals, so here in Ireland, that makes it a big city.

Quick tutorial on Tralee:

It's a town of about 25,000 people (urban and rural) in County Kerry in the Dingle peninsula. It has a port and a small airport and two hospitals. Dublin is about a three-hour drive away to the east and Killarney and Limerick were to the south about an hour or so.

I offered to buy lunch for us in exchange for her giving me a walking tour of the town. Amelia said that she knew it well since her father was often here in the courthouse working on a case. She had attended university at Trinity College in Dublin; home of the Book of Kells. Her undergraduate degree is in political science and she concentrated on EU defense policy and international relations.

At lunch I figured that I was going to get the normal questions: What's an American doing travelling around Ireland on a motorcycle? Where did I grow up? What about my family? Where did I go to school? We ate, I talked.

She dodged the obvious question of 'what about your wife? You said in the pub the night you got drunk that you had a wife?' I stayed away from that particular subject as well.

I had a great afternoon with Amelia and I never did get to the Ring of Kerry. When we got back to Castleroy, she dropped me off at the B&B and I thanked her for the drive and the tour of Tralee. I knew that as long as I stayed in the town that I would likely get to see more of Constable Amelia Kelly. And that was something that might be very nice to do.

**********

Two days later - Driving the Ring of Kerry

My god, this countryside is beautiful. It was a fantastic day, I got up early, had a bite to eat and got on the motorcycle to start my ride around the Ring of Kerry. I weaved my way to Killorglin and then Killarney and stopped there for gas and coffee. The town is very interesting and my stop included a nice pastry with my coffee.

I decided to drive the Ring in a clockwise direction so that I wouldn't get stuck behind the giant tour buses that drive in a counter-clockwise direction. Bill at the B&B gave me that little piece of advice.

My day was fantastic and involved several stops to take in the beauty of the land and sea. I tried my best to think of nothing else but what I was doing right at that minute. I was focused on the here-and-now, and nothing else. Ireland is so very beautiful.

Of course, no day in Ireland would be complete if it didn't rain. And it did.

The heavens opened up on my drive back and it came down in buckets. I pulled over under a tree to wait it out. I was sitting sideways on the bike seat having a drink of my soda when I heard a huge crash to my left. Crap; there was a cloud of smoke coming up from the car crash. Damn!

I threw the bottle in the ditch (sorry Ireland), pulled my helmet on and jumped on the bike, hit the starter and after a quick look over my right shoulder I headed towards the crash.

It was only about four hundred meters away and when I got there, I saw that a mini-bus and a car had collided head-on. Oh fuck! I figured that one of them had hydro-planed and crossed the center line of the road. Roads here are narrow to begin with so there is little room for error.

The car was badly smashed. There was smoke coming from the engine compartment. I did a quick assessment and figured that anyone in the car needed to be out of there before there was a full-fledged fire. The doors of the car were damaged and it was almost impossible to open the driver's door. The back door to the car had come open in the crash, so I reached in and saw that the man behind the wheel was bleeding. There was a woman in the passenger seat and she was unconscious; or dead. I couldn't tell just yet.

I reached around to check her for a pulse and found one. He also had a pulse. By then there were other cars stopping and people lending their help. I shouted at one to call 999 and tell them to send four ambulances. I knew that I needed two for the occupants of the car, but didn't know about the mini-bus.

I didn't want to move the people in the car without back boards and neck braces to stabilize them before we even attempted to move them. But the smoke from the front of the car was really the determining factor. They couldn't burn up just to stop further injury in a move. One man came running up with a fire extinguisher and started spraying it on the engine. That seemed to stop the immediate threat. I told the others to not move them yet

When I got to the mini-bus, the driver was the worst off. He had cuts and lacerations all over his face and upper body from the glass smashing onto him. He was covered in his own blood. I thought safety glass was supposed to stop that?

There were four other people in the mini-bus, all relatively elderly tourists that had been on a tour around the Ring of Kerry. There was a man and his wife, in their early 80's and her two sisters, also about the same age. They were all in a state of shock and asked what they should do. I did a quick check of all of them to find out their injuries. Thankfully they were all wearing seat belts.

One of the women had what I thought was a broken collar bone from the seat belt. Older women are prone to brittle bones due to loss of calcium as they get older, so I wasn't surprised by her injury. She was in obvious pain but was still a trooper, telling me that she was fine and to check her brother-in-law. He'd had cancer a few years ago and she was worried about him.

I tried to make a joke about the weather in Ireland and they all were talkative, so that told me that they were in relatively good shape. They would hurt tomorrow from a combination of the effects of the crash and stress.

I went back to the car and some of the other people who stopped had pulled out blankets and towels to keep the man and woman in the car warm. I was worried about internal injuries. They are hard to see without a CTS machine and maybe an MRI scanner.

The man had what looked like a compound fracture of his right leg and that had to be immobilized. I put a tourniquet on his thigh to reduce blood loss. I did my quick assessment of their injuries and figured that we needed to get them out of the car if we could. Four of us slowly extricated them from the car and lay them on the road. I did some more work and then went back to check on the mini-bus occupants.

It seemed to take forever to get the ambulances there. Of course, they have to come from Tralee and only two were available. I used the first aid kit in the mini-bus to start to dress the most serious cuts on the driver, a gentleman named Fergus. He's a chipper man in his sixties and he told me that he was a retired accountant who did this tour driver thing a couple of days a week to get him out of the house and out from underfoot of his wife.

I could hear the ambulances off in the distance. Thankfully, nobody was dead yet. That's always a good thing.

**********

I waited until all seven of the people had been transported to the ER in Tralee. The paramedics knew what they had to do but I planned to follow the ambulances into the city and make sure that the attending ER docs got briefed on what we did for first aid. One of the paramedics looked at me and made a comment, "You're that American doctor that saved the police sergeant from Castleroy, aren't you."