An Irish Doctor in Peace and at War Read Online Free PDF

it’s awfully grand.”
    O’Reilly was silent and Barry looked over at him. “Is it a secret, then?” said Barry, laughing. “Come on, Fingal.”
    O’Reilly cleared his throat. “Kitty and I gave them a wee wedding present—their last four nights at the Slieve Donard Hotel, but let’s just not let the whole village and townland know about it, all right? And let’s change the subject, shall we?” O’Reilly picked up his pipe and put it down again. He’d not wanted any fuss over the gift. It was the least he could do for someone who had been such a part of his life for almost two decades.
    â€œDid you really grill the trout, Fingal?” Barry said. “As Donal Donnelly might say, ‘Dead beezer.’ They were excellent.” Barry pursed his lips and cocked his head to one side. “But, fair play, you did get much better last year in the kitchen when Kinky was sick and we had to do a bit of cooking.”
    â€œWell done, Fingal,” Jenny said. “I think all men should be able to cook. I’m teaching my boyfriend, Terry.”
    â€œDifferent generation,” O’Reilly said. “In my day, men didn’t, except for professional chefs and cooks in the armed services.” He wiped his mouth on his napkin and rose. “Now,” he said, “I know you’ve home visits to make, Barry. Don’t let me stand in your way.”
    â€œI’ll be off,” Barry said.
    â€œJenny, I know this is your very first well-woman clinic since your training,” O’Reilly said. “Would you mind if I sat in? Saw how it works?”
    Jenny frowned, inhaled, clicked her tongue on her teeth, and said, “Fingal, it’s really important to get this thing off to a good start. It’s not long ago that we went through the ‘lady doctor’ thing here about women physicians not being acceptable to country patients. And didn’t we find out that quite a few of the younger ones actually chose to see me?”
    â€œThat’s true.” It hadn’t fazed O’Reilly, and it was true that the practice of medicine was changing, as well as attitudes toward its practitioners.
    â€œSo if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to run the inaugural one all by myself.”
    â€œHmmmm,” said O’Reilly, thinking quickly. He could understand her point of view but was hesitant to relinquish his position as undisputed boss of this practice. “I can certainly see why you’d feel like that, but I’d be surprised if any of the patients haven’t already seen me before or would mind me being there, and I’d really like to know how the system works. Doctors aren’t immune to illness, Jenny, and if you got sick or wanted time off, somebody’d have to fill your shoes.” He had to hand it to the lass. She wasn’t slow replying, “You’d look daft in my dress high heels.”
    O’Reilly bellowed with laughter. “Touché, but what do you say?”
    â€œLet’s compromise, Fingal. You have another cup of tea. Smoke your pipe. I’ll ask those in the waiting room if any have a particular need to see me on my own, get them taken care of, then come and get you to join me. It’s just to get the thing started.”
    O’Reilly fished out his briar, shook his shaggy head, grinned, and said, “If you ever get tired of medicine, Jenny Bradley, I have a friend in the Foreign Office.”
    â€œWhatever for?”
    â€œYou’d have a stellar career in the diplomatic service. Go on, get the first ones seen to and then come and get me.” He sat, lit his pipe, and called to Lady Macbeth, who came out from under the table and jumped up on his lap. “What does Kinky call you, madam? ‘A wee dote’?”
    He found a few slivers of trout on what had been Barry’s plate. “Here you are.”
    Lady Macbeth wolfed them down then began