Neil refused to let her accompany him to see the VA doctor so Caroline waited, flipping through magazines about guns and hunting. When he emerged, his sober expression alarmed her. She stood up and met him. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing,” he said. “I’m healthy enough that the doc gave me permission to go back to work on Monday.” He handed her a paper and she read it. “Okay, but there’s something else. What is it?” Neil sighed. “It’s no big deal. He just said the same stuff about my lungs that Dr. Tommy did. I guess he doesn’t expect me to ever be an old man.” “But he still said you could go back to the mine?” “Yeah, he did after I explained why.” Caroline sensed he wasn’t sharing all the details. “But I’m guessing the doctor was less than thrilled about it.” He headed toward the exit at speed so she followed.
