Walking the sidewalk in town, Runa could smell the bread baking at Himes. Himes was a well known brand of bread around here and their first bakery was in Zephyr City. They opened it in 1936. It always smelled so good. Runa almost went in and bought some but something stopped her. She felt her skin crawling. She looked over her shoulder but no one was there. She looked all around. She thought she saw a shadow of something move in another direction, near the old fire station. But nothing was there.

She started to pick up her pace a little and was not really paying attention to what she was doing. She tripped on the sidewalk and fell on her knees and caught herself with her hands just in time to save her face. But her hands and knees got scraped in the process.

She heard a door open and someone rushing over.

"Are you alright, Runa?" It was Poppy. 'Poppy' or Paul Ravensdale senior was her doctor for years. He was married to Dr. Eleanor Ravensdale.

"I think so," she answered him. He helped her to her feet but saw that she was scraped up.

"Come inside," he said, pointing to the door at the Barber shop where he had been.

Helping her into the door, he said, "Carl, get me a clean towel."

Carl Benton was waiting for a haircut and talking to everyone. The Barber shop was the same it had been for years. There were some chairs in the place older than Poppy.

"You can use the sink there," the barber said, pointing with his scissors. Another man was in the barber chair looking at them.

"Thanks Joe," Poppy told the Barber.

"I feel so stupid," Runa said with a half laugh. "Walk much?" she asked herself, "god!"

"It's okay dear," Poppy told her as he turned on the water. "Everyone falls sometimes."

He proceeded to clean her scrapes. Carl brought him a couple towels.

"Joe! I'm gonna use this towel. I'll get you a new one," Poppy said.

"It's okay Paul," the Barber yelled back. "Go ahead."

"Rip some strips off that for me Carl," Poppy directed.

"Long ways?" Carl asked.

"Of course Carl," Poppy told him. "I don't want to be here all day."

Carl ripped some strips and began handing them to Poppy who was already using another towel to dry Runa's wounds. Her hands were not bleeding but her right knee was. Poppy had her sit down in one of the chairs and began to wrap her knee.

"Just terrific," Runa said. "How can I go to the meeting like this?"

"What meeting?" Carl asked.

"Carl, can you do me a favor?"

"Anything Doc"

"Can you run to my house," he pulled out a set of keys, "and get my old kit in the den?"

"Sure," Carl said, taking the keys from him.

"We'll clean it proper and I don't think anyone will barely notice it," Poppy said to Runa.

She smiled at him. "Thank you Poppy."

He smiled back at her as he sat down in the chair beside her.

"I'm sorry you fell but, I'm glad I was here," he told her.

"Me too," she said. "I would've had to walk home bleeding"

"No dear. I mean... that's not what I mean." He laughed. "I meant that I don't get to do this anymore. I like being the doctor still. And I miss being your doctor. I remember when your parents would bring you in for checkups and when you would get sick."

"You do?" she asked.

"I do. I remember all my patients," he told her, "Believe it or not. And I remember one time in particular with you. You were so sick. Your dad had to bring you in that time. He was off that day and your mom was working. He had to stay with you all day and you were so sick. He didn't know what to do; the poor man. That's an awful feeling, you know?"

"What is?" Runa asked him.

"When your child is sick and you can't do anything to help. You almost couldn't breathe from crying so hard and you didn't want a shot but I had to give you one. You were fighting me so bad that he had to hold you still. He hated doing it. I looked up and saw the tears in his eyes."

Runa looked at Poppy who was clearly moved, telling her this.

"That's when I knew," Poppy said to her.

"Knew what?" Runa asked him.

"That your father was a good man."

Runa's eyes began to well up and she looked at her hands. She looked deep in thought.