A Boy of Good Breeding Read Online Free PDF Page B

something other than minor surgery and routine obstetrics and where people would pronounce his name correctly. It still peeved him to think of Hosea Funk calling his girlfriend, Genvieve, who remained in Montreal, Jenny Quelque Chose.
    “Uh, listen, Doctor, I need to talk to Mrs. Epp for a minute, tops. Then I’ll be out of your hair. Fair enough?”
    Jean François had understood the Mrs. Epp part and shrugged Hosea down the hall. “Room four, Hosea, but be quick because she needs to rest.”
    “Will do,” said Hosea, already moving towards Veronica’s room.
    He had begun to walk into her room as if he was entering his own kitchen but stopped abruptly. Veronica Epp was lying with her back towards him and, unfortunately for Hosea, her blue hospital gown had come untied, exposing her buttocks and lower back. Before turning away, Hosea thought to himself howa woman could look, well, like normal, from the back, even while she was ballooning out in the front, and he wondered if he himself looked thinner from behind. It was something to consider. But now, he grabbed at his shirt and took three steps backwards, returning to the hallway and standing on the other side of the doorway.
    This was the type of situation that completely unnerved Hosea. Was Veronica sleeping? Should he wake her up? How? Just then he heard a godawful moan coming from across the hall. A tiny tuft of white hair and an atrophied face poked out from beneath a blue sheet. The body attached to it looked like that of an eight-year-old girl. Hosea looked closer. Oh my God, he thought, it’s Leander Hamm, Lawrence’s dad. Nobody had told him old Mr. Hamm was in the hospital, and, from the sounds of it, he wasn’t long for this world. Well, thought Hosea, it could be a good thing. Not that he invited death upon his townspeople regularly, but, after all, Leander Hamm would have had to have been almost ninety-five, and that’s a good long life. If he were to buy the farm sometime soon, then Veronica Epp’s alleged twins might not be as big a problem. Though it didn’t bode well for having Lorna move in with him.
    Which reminded him. He cleared his throat and stretched out his arm to knock on Veronica’s door, keeping the rest of his body safely behind the wall. He had to find out from Veronica what the story was and he didn’t want the doctor coming around and wondering what his problem was.
    “Come in?” Veronica called out to the empty doorway. Hosea had quickly pulled back his arm after the knock and was still standing behind the wall next to her door.
    “Uh, Mrs. Epp, it’s, uh … Hosea Funk.”
    Dead silence then except for the swishing of stiff sheets.
    “Oh, Mr. Funk? Well, come in.”
    Hosea had thought that Veronica Epp would have recognized the name right off the bat. He was the mayor, after all, but then again, she had just woken up and was in a somewhat groggy condition. He wouldn’t let it bother him. And besides, as he stood there, far from her actual bed, a look of recognition came over her face and she smiled warmly.
    She rolled over, on her back now, and Hosea was truly alarmed at how enormous her belly was. Darnit, he thought. That’s gotta be twins.
    “How are you feeling, Mrs. Epp?” Hosea planted his gaze on her face to avoid having to look at her stomach.
    “Fine, thanks. The doctor just thought it would be a good idea to come in a bit before I go into labour, because I’m a high risk.”
    “I see,” said Hosea. “Well, that’s good.”
    Veronica Epp looked slightly puzzled.
    “I mean it’s good that you’re here, being observed like this. It’s a very good thing.” Hosea coughed twice but resisted the urge to tug.
    “Yes, Dr. Jean is very attentive, very good. And, love ’em dearly though I do, it’s rather a nice break from my other kids, you know.”
    No, Hosea did not know. And what was this business with calling Dr. François Dr. Jean? That was rather personal, wasn’t it? He knew he would have balked to