Over the years, what does a Family Doctor hear? He may hear the fresh and strong heartbeats of a newborn baby just entering a complex and challenging world. She may hear the fading, weakening heartbeats of a tired Hospice patient. These Family Doctors will do so using the time-honored medical device known as a stethoscope. Even without using the stethoscope, they will hear stories from their patients, some stories clinical and worried, others quiet and hidden. The stories may be about their patients' pains and losses, or about their joys and triumphs. They may be about their fears and weaknesses, or about their courage and strengths. They are usually quiet stories, lives beyond the headlines, the town gossip, even beyond Facebook. The stories are heard if the Family Doctor listens closely. These are the stories beyond the stethoscope, relayed here, as free verse, as homage to those quiet and fascinating lives

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