Blue Coyote Motel by Dianne Harman

many years, first when you were in college and then with your work at the hospital in Phoenix. This morning I called a special meeting of the Tribal Council and they would like to offer you the job of director of the pediatric center. Sam has too much work to do. He can't be a doctor, a director, and a medicine man-in-training. It's too much. We want you to be the director. You would work with Sam, but running the center would be entirely your responsibility. If you agree, we would like you to start as soon as possible."
    Strong Medicine looked closely at Phyllis, who was clearly stunned by the offer. Obviously, she had never even considered the possibility of becoming the director of the pediatric center. She and her father had taken a tour of it simply because her father knew that anything related to medicine interested her. Phyllis wished she could answer immediately, but first she needed to make phone calls.
    "Would you give me a couple of days? I need to talk to some people and think about this. I am truly honored you would consider me for the position and I will get back to you no later than day after tomorrow. Will that be all right?" Phyllis asked.
    Sam turned to her and spoke softly. "I think we would work well together. It's a chance for both of us to help our tribe, our people. Please think seriously about this. I really hope that you'll accept the position."
    She looked at the earnest plea in Sam's eyes and realized not only how dedicated he was to his people and his medicine, but also how very attractive he was, something that she had never previously considered. Her eyes slid down to his wedding ring finger. There was no ring. She knew she would take the position. It was just a matter of arranging a few things.
    As Sam and Strong Medicine stood at the front door of the run-down trailer getting ready to leave, Strong Medicine suddenly turned to Phyllis and placed his hands on each side of her face and said, "My child, it's time for you to come home. Your people need you."
    The next morning when Sam arrived at the clinic, he was amazed to see Phyllis waiting for him at the locked front door. She turned to him, gracing him with a smile that radiated warmth. "Please show me my new office. I resigned from the hospital yesterday. I offered to give two weeks' notice, but they generously told me if I would give up my two weeks' severance pay, I could start here at the center immediately, so here I am. I do have a few loose ends that I have to tie up in Phoenix. I'll go there this weekend to pack up the things in my apartment. I've also given notice there. The apartment manager was very gracious about it. She said there was a waiting list and she could rent it immediately. It's rather amazing how it all worked out, don't you think?" Phyllis asked.
    Sam thought of Strong Medicine and how he had told Sam there were no coincidences. Clearly, he had much to learn from this wise old man. Sam vowed to speed up his teachings with Strong Medicine. They were very important and he was looking forward to it. He was also looking forward to working with this attractive, intelligent young woman. "Where will you live?" Sam asked. "I hope it's fairly close to the center, as emergencies do happen."
    Phyllis replied, "When I drove onto the reservation yesterday, I noticed that there were some condos being built just down the road. I was surprised, as I don't remember ever seeing any building of that type on the reservation before. Yesterday, after I talked to you and Strong Medicine, I bought one. It will be finished in a few weeks. My father's trailer is too small for me to live there for very long and quite frankly, I find it sort of depressing. My mother had a way of making everything bright and cheery. My father misses her so much that the trailer has become a shrine to her. I need to be surrounded by things that represent happiness, actually something like what you've done here at the center. Everything just seemed to work out. I