Up and Down The Evergreen

“We are in it,” Billy announced, fear audible in his voice. Greene’s eyes went pass Billy, searching around the room as if he anticipated danger. His eyes focused upon an enclosed compartment. He threw back the enclosure and went in. Billy followed closely behind.

Greene walked over to a blood-covered sheet where a middle-aged white man lay, his blue face covered with dried blood. Green’s heart raced as he threw back the covers. The sight was an ugly mess. The man’s chest seemed crushed and his breath was sharp and quick.

“Where is everybody?” Greene demanded.

“They’re coming,” Billy assured him. “We reached them by telephone, but your phone didn't answer so we just kept paging you. But we can’t find a chief!” There was desperation in his voice.

Greene ignored Billy’s fearful voice. “Let me see the X-rays,” he ordered. A nurse raced to get the x-rays for Greene...

With deft prose and humor Trellie Jeffers tells the story of Jackson Greene, a young black doctor searching for himself during the Civil Rights era. Greene’s struggle to get ahead in a hostile white environment, his evolving attitudes toward women and love, and his journey to find his true purpose in life, is a timeless tale that is still so relevant in our so called “post racial” America.

Cover art and design by Quinton Veal.