“Can you at least unchain me from the wall?” Ian was almost begging.
“Ian, you are still in a lot of pain.” His doctor explained for the third time. “Even with the drip, you can barely be touched without wincing. Believe me, without it, you’d be begging for it.”
“Give me a bullet to bite.” Ian suggested.
“I’m not leaving anything that you could figure out a way to use as a lethal weapon. You’ve only been coherent less than 48 hours.”
“Fine.” Ian pouted.
“Keep improving as remarkably as you have been, and we’ll discuss it.” The doctor scribbled on his chart.
“Doctor, before you let my son and Tippy back in I need to ask you about something important.”
The doctor clicked his pen and shoved it in his pocket. “Certainly.”
“I realize you can’t discuss other patients, and I’m not asking you to, but Inez Morning…I don’t even know if she’s one of your patients.”
“She isn’t, but I know of whom you are speaking.”
“She’s a friend, my son adores her.”
“Yes.”
“I spoke with her grand daughter, Rose, earlier this morning. I know she needs hip replacement and she doesn’t have insurance. Rose says that Medicare won’t cover enough for them to be able to afford it or something along that lines.”
The doctor just nodded his head.
“Do it. Do anything she needs and what Medicare doesn’t cover I will.”
The doctor looked shocked.
“Look, I’m not rolling in dough, but I’ve got great insurance. They’ll pay for all of the mess I’m in, and I can’t lay here knowing that that wonderful woman has to continue to suffer when I have the means to help. Just tell her doctor to do whatever she needs, spare no expense and send the bill to me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” Ian said. “And when it’s time for convalescence don’t send her to whatever Medicare will cover either. There’s a card on the windowsill. Send her there, she deserves the best and I can give that to her.”
“That is very generous of you.”
“Just take care of her.” Ian says. “She reminds me of someone who was very important to me…and no one knows about this, not even my boy. You found a loophole or whatever. I mean it. If she finds out, I’ll refuse to cover anything and you’re stuck with the bill.”
“We were looking into special case funds.” His doctor revealed. “I’ll have a chat with her primary and we’ll tell her one of those came through.”
“Thank you, Dr. Hunter.”
“You’re a good man, Ian Justyn.”
“No I’m not.” Ian said. “Go ahead and send the hordes in.”
The doctor walked to the door. “Mrs. Shores said she had an errand to run, that she’d see you shortly.”
“What kind of errand?”
“I’m just the secretary.” The doctor smiled. “I’m not allowed to divulge her itinerary.”
Ian heard the doctor tell Ronnie it was okay for him to go in now. The sound of his sneakered feet echoed and he pounded in. After Billy left they removed one of the beds and had moved Ian to the center of the room.
“Hey, Papa.” Ronnie sat cross-legged in the chair that had been pulled up beside the bed. “What did Dr. Hunter have to say?”
“Same old, same old.” Ian told him with a smile. “Does it hurt when I do this? Blah blah blah. How was Mr. Ripley?”
“Good.” Ronnie smiled. “I whipped him in a round of Spit.”
“He’s a nice man.”
“Yep.” Ronnie slipped out of his chair and scooted it closer. “Papa, since we’re alone can I be true?”
“Sure, Puppy.” Ian looked at his son. “Anytime, you know that.”
Ronnie nodded his head. “You know I loved my Mommy and Daddy.”
“Of course, you did.”
“Well, I always had this feeling in my belly.”
“What kind of feeling?”
“You know, like a itch or a tickle.” Ronnie looked at his father with a question. “You ever feel that way? Way down deep in your belly?”
“Yes, Ronnie.” Ian was honest. “Yes I do.”
“They never said nothin’, you know.” Ronnie kicked his feet a little. “As happy as I was, as much as I loved ‘em. I never really felt like…I don’t know. I don’t know how to say it.”
“It’s okay, Ronnie.” Ian wanted to reach out and hold his boy, but he couldn’t.
Ronnie’s eyes darted to the fingers of Ian’s hand, the one with the monitor clip and the drip bag attached. He took hold of the fingers clenching and trying to reach out. “I always felt diff’ernt somehow.”
“Out of place?” Ian said.
He nodded his end. “Like no matter how happy I was, that somethin’ just wasn’t right.”
“Ronnie.” Ian interrupted. “How did you know? I mean about me?”
He took a deep breath. “I just heard things. People talkin’, and a kid at school bein’ mean.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Ronnie grinned. “I told Mommy about it, and she said I was special. That I got chosed from all the little boys in the world.”
“And that made you feel better?”
“Yes, but I still felt wrong.” Ronnie looked at the floor. “An’ then I’d feel bad about feelin’ so bad.”
Ian sighed. “Believe me, I know.”
“So I asked God for a miracle.” Ronnie said. “I asked him to make me stop feelin’ so bad and wrong all the time. Then Mrs. Fleming give us that assignment, the one to write the letters. I didn’t know until after I wrote mine.”
“You heard your Mom and Dad talking.”
“When I was in bed. They thought I was asleep.” Ronnie looked back up at Ian. “So I thought, Okay God. If he writes me back I’ll know it’s okay. Even though he had to give me away, this is where I belong.”
“And if I hadn’t written back.”
“Sorta the same thing. I’da known then that you didn’t want me at all, and I was where I belonged. Then everything happened.”
Ronnie crawled up on the bed and took his father’s face in his hands. “Papa, I don’t have that feelin’ no more. This is right. I miss Mommy and Daddy every day, but this is God answerin’ my prayer.”
Ian just nodded his head in silence, not knowing what to say.
“This is where we belong, Papa, together. We’re a real family an’ everything. Just like I knew you was gonna be alright.”
“Well, I’m glad you weren’t scared.” Ian told him, “I was.”
“Why Papa? God don’t go back on miracles, and you and me? We’re a miracle. It’s just awful what happened to Mommy and Daddy, but it brought us back together, like God was a waitin’ for just the right time.”
“And now’s the right time?”
Ronnie smiled. “I don’t know ‘xactly why, Papa, but God knows what He’s a doin’.”
“I sure as heck don’t.”
“Well, together we’ll figure it all out.” Ronnie smiled. “Don’t you worry none.”
“What’s everybody worried about?” Tippy breezed in.
“Not a thing, Granny. It’s all taken care of.” Ronnie smiled.
“Well, that’s good to know, Sugar Plum.” Tippy planted a kiss on the boy’s forehead. “Now, can I ask you a little favor?”
“Sure.”
“Mr. Ripley asked if we could get him a cup of coffee.” She took a couple of singles out of her purse. “Would you run down the hall and get one for him, and get yourself a soft drink, too.”
“Okay!” Ronnie hopped up, but looked at Ian. “Papa, can I get any thing for you?”
“I’m fine, Puppy. Thanks for asking though.”
“How does Mr. Ripley want his coffee?” Ronnie stopped in mid-dash to ask.
“Stop and ask him, Sugar Plum.” Tippy smiled and waved him on.
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