"Now, Joe,” laughed Dixie, “that’s really not necessary!”
“What? Don’t you trust me?” he teased. “I’m crushed!”
“Well, if you’re really sure you wouldn’t mind . . . . . . . .”
“Mind? Who, me? Never!”
And so it was settled.
It wouldn’t be the first time he’d kept the twins for Dixie and Kell. After all, being their godfather counted for something, gave him some rights, bestowed certain privileges . . . . . . . . and who ever said grandparents had a corner on the spoiling-the-children market? The truth be known, Joe enjoyed these occasional sleepovers just about as much as the four-year-old Brackett twins.
“If you’re getting back that late, the twins will be sound asleep. How about coming over Saturday for a late brunch?” Joe asked, working to finalize the plans with Dixie. “Say around eleven?”
“That sounds really nice,” Dixie replied with an affirmative nod.
“Great!” Joe enthused. Eyes twinkling, he chuckled, “I might even be persuaded to give the twins back to you afterwards!”
Her deep blue eyes, mirroring happiness, sparkled with the joy of life; her laughter filled the break room with a gentle sound that reminded him of tinkling wind chimes in a soft summer breeze.
Smiling, Joe stood and headed over to refill the coffee cups as he absently reflected on just how fond he was of Dixie and Kell and the twins. Somehow, over the course of time, they had become much more than simply best friends. The truth of the matter was that he considered them family . . . . . . . . just as they considered him family. It was an easy fit for all three of them.
Setting the two coffee cups on the table, he sat down once more. “You know, Dix, I’m off at three. I could just get the twins from the Center and take them home with me this afternoon. That would save you the trip over to drop them off . . . . . . . . and since you’ll need to go in the other direction anyway . . . . . . . .”
Dixie nodded her agreement. “I’ll let Rita know,” she said. After a moment, she added, “What would we ever do without you?”
Laughing, he replied, “I’m sure you’d be just fine . . . . . . . . but I hope you won’t try any time soon to find out how you’d do!”
“Not a chance!” she instantly replied, tossing him a warm smile. “Believe me, I know a good thing when I see it!”
They both shared the laugh.
Turning serious, Joe said, “Dix, may I ask you something?”
At her nod, he continued, “What would you think a- . . . . . . . .?”
The sounds of a screaming child and a hysterical mother arriving in Emergency intruded, interrupting his question and startling them both. Abandoning their lighthearted banter, they stood and swiftly moved into the hallway. Calmly and surely, without discussion, the pair handled the situation as Joe took the child into the treatment room and Dixie worked to calm the frightened mother. No words were necessary --- they each knew they could count on the other to handle whatever might need to be done.
From that point on, they hardly had time to catch their breath, as the rest of both of their shifts remained inundated with patients.
Joe never did get back to the question he had started to ask.
*******
“Kell, will you do this for me, please?” she asked as she came into the room, turning her back to him so that he could zip up her dress.
“Wow!” he exclaimed appreciatively, almost forgetting he was supposed to be zipping up the zipper.
Dixie smiled and, in a sudden burst of whimsy, she took a step back and proceeded to gracefully whirl around in front of him. “Will this do?” she teased lightly.
She had chosen a sleek, sophisticated-looking, sleeveless black velvet dress, simply adorned around the scooped neckline with sparkling crystal trim. Her long blonde hair, loosely gathered into soft cascading curls, perfectly set off the long, elegant gown.
Breathless, he nodded.
She laughed.
“Well, Doctor,” she said, continuing her playful teasing, “are you just going to stand there all night gaping, or are we going to go to this fancy dinner of yours?”
Kell grinned. “We’re going,” he said emphatically. “We’re most definitely going. They’d never forgive me if I didn’t let them have a chance to see Rampart Emergency’s head nurse looking like that!”
Laughing, she brushed his lips with a quick kiss. Then, gathering up her purse and her wrap, she bantered, “For a doctor, you don’t look so bad yourself!”
He smiled as he opened the door for her and, with that, Dixie and Kell headed for the car and the oh-so-fancy medical association dinner.
********
He had come to medicine a bit later in life than most, after having spent, in his opinion, far too many unfulfilling, wasted years mired in the family business. His parents had perished in a private plane crash, leaving both their fortune and the business for their three children. He had dutifully stepped into the role expected of him, but rather quickly discovered he simply could not function in the cutthroat world of high finance. Despite his frustrations, he’d never given it much though until the morning he found himself enmeshed in a particularly vicious board meeting. Disgusted with the continual corporate backstabbing, he’d simply gotten up and walked out, never to return.
Medicine was about as far removed from the “ivory tower” as he could get, seeming to him as if it offered far more in the way of meeting needs and involving him in some useful purpose in the world. And, as was his habitual way, once the decision had been made, he resolutely pursued the goal with dogged determination. Behind a deceptively easy-going manner lay far more resolve than people tended to give him credit for, a tenacity that served him well as he worked his way through his internship and residency.
He’d found his true calling and, having decided to specialize in neurosurgery, he settled into the demanding world of hospital medicine. True, it left little time for socializing, but he never noticed the lack as he eagerly immersed himself in his training.
Mostly to appease the remnants of his family . . . . . . . . a taciturn older sister and their eldest brother who ran the business --- neither of whom cared to see him very often --- he established a private practice in his hometown Beverly Hills neighborhood, but found it to be somewhat lacking in purposefully addressing the immediacy of human suffering he could see in the wider world. Thus it was that he returned once again to the hospital of his internship, now to volunteer his time to emergency room service.
It was a decision for his life that he’d never had any cause to regret . . . . . . . . until this moment.
é é é é é é é é
They sat together on the sofa, side by side by side . . . . . . . . motionless . . . . . . . . silent . . . . . . . . waiting. Agony clutched his heart, forced him to fight for each breath. Everything around him seemed surreal, unnatural. For the first and only time that he could recall, he felt adrift, out of place, at odds . . . . . . . . as if he suddenly no longer belonged here. Despair echoed in his voice; his eyes, overflowing with a pain born of grief, brimmed with tears. “Can’t you do something more? Anything at all?”
He stood before them, his unbroken silence speaking volumes. Words would have been superfluous in any event --- he already knew all there was to know. He had seen them both . . . . . . . . and his understanding forced upon him the answers he did not want to hear.
His mind reeled. Unbidden, flashes of conversations, memories of times past assailed him. Joys. Sorrows. Laughter. Tears. Shared commitments, shared lives. Love. As always seemed to be the case, he was once again being called upon to be the strong one, the one who would handle all the fine details and somehow help make it all come out right. He’d never hesitated before to step up, to take charge --- it’d been relatively simple in the past . . . . . . . . for the myriad other times . . . . . . . . previously.
“How can I ever make this come out right?” his mind cried, railing at the assault. The swirling miasma of emotion assailing his inner being gave lie to his deceptive outward appearance of calm. He sat, stone-faced and motionless. At this very moment, for the only time in his life that he could remember, he had absolutely no idea of what to do next.
Hushed, wide-eyed children sat on either side of him. Sighing, he took hold of their hands as he stood. Rivulets of tears cut meandering pathways down his cheeks as the three of them walked slowly down the hallway toward the hospital chapel.
******
Looking back on their break room conversation --- was it only yesterday? Somehow it seemed as if an eternity had passed between then and now --- Joe could only marvel at the unlikely chain of events that had ended with Kevin and Kelsie coming home with him. It was a cross between frustrated agony and somber joy. With both Kell and Dixie go- . . . . . . . .
“Uncle Joe?”
Heaving a sigh, he tore his contemplations from the anguish of the thought and turned his attention to the child standing beside his chair. “What is it, Kevin?” he asked gently as he lifted the youngster up into his lap, absently noting how very much he resembled his father.
“Kelsie an’ me wanted t’ know if you’d play music on the piano.”
He smiled diffidently. “Sure,” he answered softly with a hug, putting the child down as he rose from the chair. Taking Kevin’s small hand in his, Joe slowly walked toward the piano in the far corner of the living room. He reflected on how very much Kevin and Kelsie were like their mother. Music, it seemed, lived in their souls, too. Idly, he wondered in passing if Dixie had known that.
“Any special song?” he asked as he slid onto the piano bench. The children made no reply so he began to play, his fingers wandering across the keys to fill the room with a soft lullaby as the piano comfortably welcomed him. Soon lost in the music, he played on and on; time passed unnoticed as the melody swirled around the room and cradled the three of them in itself.
After a time he pulled a part of himself away from the music and looked over at the twins; they were sitting together, holding hands, silent and rapt, staring off into the distance. Tears marshaled in his eyes but his hands continued their light dance across the keyboard as he played the gentle music for them. After an even longer time, he thought to put the children to bed.
******
“And do you have any references, Miss Marsh?” he asked.
Nodding, the woman seated across the table handed him a sheet of paper on which she’d noted the reference information.
“There’s only one name here,” he remarked in surprise.
“I’ve worked for the Covington family for the past nineteen years,” she told him. “Their youngest child has gone off to the Air Force Academy now, and so they no longer need me . . . . . . . .”
Joe was intrigued. “Excuse me,” he said, rising from the table. “I’ll get us some coffee. Be back in a couple of minutes.” He headed for the kitchen where he poured coffee and called the Covingtons. Upon his return, he discovered that she had gone.
Sighing, he put the coffee stuff down and resignedly set about gathering up the papers. Hearing laughter from the living room, he pushed the papers aside and went to check on the twins.
She was sitting on the floor with Kevin and Kelsie. And, much to Joe’s surprise, Kelsie was laughing, too. He stood in the doorway, watching, a small smile playing in the corners of his mouth.
She looked up and, seeing him there, began to apologize. “I’m sorry, but the children were . . . . . . . .”
“There’s certainly no need for you to apologize,” he interrupted. “You’re supposed to take care of the children.”
“Do you mean,” she queried, her eyes widening with surprise, “that I can have the job?”
“Well,” he joked, “anyone who can make Kelsie laugh . . . . . . . .”
Her eyes sparkled laughter as Julie Marsh smiled.
“Let’s have some coffee while I tell you about the twins.”
******
He’d left explicit instructions for them to call, no matter what, no matter when, but the telephone had been obstinately silent. Clinging to this slight beacon of hope, he dialed deliberately.
“Please page Doctor Allen,” he requested.
After a moment, during which it seemed as if time marched on into infinity, he heard, “This is Doctor Allen,” through the receiver.
“Joe Early,” he said.
“Morning, Joe,” he responded. “Are you coming in today?”
“How are . . . . . . . .”
“Holding on. I’m not sure I know how, but somehow . . . . . . . .” he interrupted. “Extremely critical, but, for now, fairly stable.”
“I have to get Kevin and Kelsie settled,” Joe answered. “I’ll be there later. Call me if there’s the slightest change . . . . . . . .”
“You’ll be the first to know,” the doctor interrupted once more. “You know we’re doing everything we possibly can.”
“I know, Bob,” he answered softly, “I know.”
******
“Julie,” he said, “I need to go over to the hospital . . . . . . . .”
“No problem,” she interrupted with a smile.
“The number’s on the pad by the phone. Just ask them to page me . . . . . . . .”
“Don’t worry, Doctor Early,” Julie cut in, speaking earnestly. “The three of us will be just fine.”
********
Joe shook his head in amazement. “After seeing them last night, I wouldn’t have given you one chance in a billion,” he said to Bob Allen. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you,” he hastened to add as their footsteps carried them both toward the lounge.
Bob chuckled mirthlessly. “Yeah, I know, Joe. Still, we’ve got a long way to go before either one of them is even close to out of the woods . . . . . . . .”
“That may be,” Joe answered, “but every minute we get makes it that much better.”
“Yeah, it does that,” he soberly agreed. Both men were silent as they finished their coffee, their tortured thoughts elsewhere.
Setting down his empty coffee mug, Bob told him, “I had new x-rays done this morning. They should be ready in a few minutes.”
“I need to go down and see how things are in Emergency. How about I meet you in x-ray in, say, fifteen minutes?” Although he knew that Doctor Peterson was covering in Emergency, Joe felt duty-bound to check anyway, to make sure they were managing despite the sudden reduction in their normal staffing.
“Sounds like a plan,” said Bob, rising to go. “See you in x-ray.”
Joe swallowed the last of his coffee, put up the cup, and headed for the elevator. He pushed the call button and, when the elevator arrived, he punched at the button for the first floor.
Johnny and Roy were standing at the nurses’ station, talking with Mike Morton. All three men looked grimly somber.
Coming up to the counter, Joe greeted them, “Good morning.”
“Mornin’, Doc,” said Johnny morosely.
“Let’s have a little more cheer, gentlemen,” Joe teased gently. “You two,” he went on, indicating Johnny and Roy, “did a really fine, first-rate job last night.”
“Yeah, sure,” said Roy with a bitter, humorless laugh. “Took us almost forty-five minutes to get them cut out of what was left of their car.” After a moment, he added, “Damned drunk driver.”
Surprised by the uncharacteristic invective, Mike glanced at Roy, but he didn’t notice. He continued his ranting. “Must’ve been going ninety, ninety-five miles an hour --- maybe even more. Blows the light and careens through a busy intersection, cream-ing three cars. Kills seven people and just walks away . . . . . . . .”
“Roy,” Joe gently interrupted, “remember that you and Johnny saved five people last night . . . . . . . .”
“Maybe,” he said bitterly. “For the moment, for right now, just maybe you’re right, Doc. But can you tell me . . . . . . . . can you guarantee . . . . . . . . that they’ll all live, that they will be OK?”
“You know I can’t do that,” Joe replied softly, seeking to soothe. “But it doesn’t in any way diminish the fine job you did at the scene. Because of you, they all got here to the hospital alive.”
“That doesn’t mean a damn thing if they don’t make it,” said Roy vehemently, anguish spilling from his eyes. “It won’t be much comfort to anyone around here, it won’t help Kevin and Kelsie one little bit, if Doc Brackett and Dixie d-.” He choked on the word as tears sprang to his eyes; turning away, Roy dazedly wandered down the hall, muttering as he headed for the squad. Fixing an agony-filled gaze on the two doctors, Johnny silently sighed and turned away to follow his partner down the corridor.
Joe and Mike exchanged pained looks, but there was nothing more to be said.
*******
Frustrated, Joe shoved the x-ray back into its envelope. “Any idea yet on the amount of spinal cord damage?”
“Nope. Still too much swelling.” After a pause, he added, “No change in the paralysis.”
“Did you do another echoencephalogram?”
Pulling the echoencephalogram from the stack of reports, Bob handed it to Joe. “Looks pretty good, all things considered.”
Joe sighed, fighting to keep his hope from surging. “One step at a time,” he silently reminded himself. “It’s just a tiny baby step.”
Bob silently noted his colleague’s frustration. Like everyone else on the Rampart staff, he knew just how close Joe was to Dixie and Kell. “How are the twins doing?” he asked, attempting to take Joe’s mind off the x-rays and the gloomy medical reports.
“They seem to be OK,” he said, “although it’s really hard to tell with Kelsie . . . . . . . . she still keeps pretty much to herself.” After a minute he added, “I found someone to take care of them at home. It just didn’t seem like too good an idea to bring them into the hospital, to the Center, every day right now . . . . . . . .”
“I think you’re probably right about that,” Bob agreed. “It’s lucky you were able to find someone so quickly, though.
“Yeah,” Joe agreed. “I called an agency; they sent someone.”
Sighing, he stood. “Let’s go check on them. Then I’ve got to get back to the twins,” Joe said. “Be sure to call me if . . . . . . . .”
“Don’t worry, Joe, I’ll call . . . . . . . . if there’s a need to.” After a momentary reflection, he hopefully added, “But maybe, just maybe, I won’t have to call you after all.
*******
As Joe opened the door, he was greeted by sounds of laughter. Smiling in spite of himself, he headed toward the kitchen, where he discovered Julie and the twins up to their elbows in chocolate chip cookie dough. Kevin giggled as he worked at mixing the dough in the bowl while Julie helped Kelsie put spoonfuls of mixed dough onto a cookie sheet. Kelsie, definitely her mother’s daughter, kept stopping to eat chocolate chips out of the bag.
Julie looked up as Joe laughed. “Hi, Doctor Early,” she greeted him brightly. “Dinner’s in the oven and we’re just finishing up making dessert,” she reported, indicating the cookies-in-progress scattered about the counter. “While you were at the hospital, we went over to the park, to the playground, and to the library.”
“We’re makin’ cookies, Uncle Joe!” Kevin declared with glee. “If Kelsie stops eatin’ up all the chocolate chips!”
Julie laughed as she produced another bag of chocolate chips for Kevin to pour into the dough.
Joe watched with surprise as Julie signed to Kelsie, reminding her not eat all the chocolate chips before supper. “I didn’t know you signed,” he said in amazement. “Park, playground, library, dinner, cookies . . . . . . . . is there anything you don’t do?”
“Oh, yeah, lots and lots of stuff!” Julie laughed.
Joe sighed in pleased astonishment. “Looks to me like you have all this extremely well in hand!” As he began to turn away, he told her, “I’ve got to make a quick phone call before dinner.”
“It won’t be ready for another twenty minutes or so,” Julie called after him as he headed for the telephone in his study.
Joe nodded in acknowledgement, silently noting how very well things seemed to be going around the house. Now, if they could only get that same sort of word from the hospital . . . . . . . .
*******
Quietly, Julie came to the study doorway. They’d finished dinner a while ago and she’d just now come from putting the children to bed. She stood, silent, waiting for Joe to finish his reading.
Gradually becoming aware of her presence, Joe looked up from his research. “Oh, Julie. Come on in. Problem?”
“No,” she answered softly. “The twins are both asleep. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I thought you might like to take a break, maybe have some coffee . . . . . . . .”
Joe rubbed at his eyes. “That sounds,” he said as he stood up to stretch protesting muscles, “like a wonderful idea.”
Shortly thereafter, they had settled down in the dining room with coffee and a plate of chocolate chip cookies.
“How are the children’s parents?” she asked, stirring a smidgeon of cream into the cup and sipping at the coffee. “Are they going to be all right?”
“They’re hanging on, and that’s about the best I can say at the moment,” Joe responded fretfully. “Lord knows, enough of us are hoping and praying that they’ll both make it through this.”
Silence enveloped them as Joe absently crumbled a cookie into bite-sized bits and they both worked at finishing their coffee. After a time, Joe quietly added, “Kell and Dix are my best friends . . . . . . . . my family really. Kevin and Kelsie are my godchildren.”
Compassion filled her emerald green eyes. She reached out to touch his hand, offering him her support. “They’re wonderful children,” she enthused softly. “I hope it all turns out right.”
Shaking his head, Joe mused aloud, “Drunk drivers . . . . . . . .” His tone twisted the words into an epithet.
*******
Several long, difficult hours in surgery left him exhausted and feeling drained. Nevertheless, he now stood at his friend’s bed-side, fretfully checking vital signs, worriedly eyeing the monitors.
“Joe,” suggested Bob Allen as he adjusted the intravenous flow, “why don’t you take a break, get something to eat?”
“In a minute,” he responded absently, intent on his checking.
Shaking his head, Bob came around the bed and clapped a hand on his colleague’s shoulder. “Come on, Joe, you won’t be able to help him at all if you don’t take care of yourself.”
Joe knew he was right. Reluctantly, he turned away. He knew the critical care staff would continually monitor both Kell’s and Dixie’s conditions, and he also knew that, at this moment, there was simply nothing more that he could do for either of them. Sighing, he turned away and slowly headed for the cafeteria.
*******
As generally happens with life, things gradually settled into some semblance of a routine. With Julie at the house to care for the twins, Joe was able to spend most of his time at the hospital. He knew it was difficult for the children to understand what had happened to their parents, but, thanks to Julie, they seemed to be coping fairly well.
Julie Marsh had turned out to be a godsend. Having almost immediately discovered Kelsie’s propensity to spend her time with a book, Julie had planned out the twins’ routine to include daily visits to the library as well as to the playground and the park. The twins adored her and Joe seriously wondered what he ever would’ve done had Julie not come along. With her routine now firmly in place, Joe discovered that, somehow or other, life in the Early household had subtly shifted, and, as he continued to fret over Kell and Dixie, he found some small measure of comfort at having their children --- and Julie --- there with him.
********
Slowly, slowly . . . . . . . . oh, so very slowly . . . . . . . . seconds became minutes . . . . . . . . minutes turned into hours . . . . . . . . hours evolved into days . . . . . . . . and Joe finally allowed himself to entertain some small hope that Kell and Dixie would both survive. Somehow or other, perhaps only by the grace of God, but certainly assisted by the monumental efforts of the Rampart staff, they’d both survived the initial trauma and had made it through a plethora of resulting complications as well. Inarguably, a long, long road still loomed ahead; however, a faint but visible beacon of hope now illuminated the dark of his concern.
********
As she came awake, tears spilled from her eyes. She fought it as hard as she could, trying with every fiber of her being not to cry. She was angry with herself for the crying, but it was simply too much effort to try and stop the tears. And, oh, it hurt so much.
********
“Good morning,” Bob Allen greeted Joe as the two doctors met up with each other and headed toward Kell’s room. At long last he had finally been considered stable enough to move out of Intensive Care, and was now settled in a regular room. Joe allowed that, after some intense physical therapy, his friend’s recuperation from this might actually be more or less complete.
Bob pushed open the door and both doctors entered the room. Kell was still sleeping; Joe carefully set about checking his vital signs, assuring himself that all was well.
“Why don’t you go on up and see how Dixie’s doing?” Bob suggested to Joe. “I can handle this. I’ll come on up in a minute.”
Having assured himself that Kell’s condition was stable, Joe headed for the door, nodding his agreement. As he walked toward the elevator, he offered a silent prayer of thanks for the thus-far attained improvement in Kell’s condition. At this point, Joe realized there was no reason not to expect it to continue, and he was heartened at the prospect of his friend’s recovery.
********
Pushing open the door as he came into the room, he realized that she was crying. Definitely uncharacteristic . . . . . . . . she tended toward much more stoicism than might ordinarily be expected. Concerned, he hurried across the room after ensuring that the nurse would page Bob Allen immediately.
“Dix?” he queried, his voice filled with apprehension.
She didn’t move. He hadn’t expected her to. But he was stunned by her unanticipated reply.
“It hurts, Joe,” she whimpered.
They had put her in a Stryker frame, allowing her to be moved without causing further injury to her spine. Already they had operated twice, removing bone fragments and trying to repair the damage. Until today, she’d never complained of any pain.
Ecstatic at the implications hinted at by the pain, Joe grinned, relief flooding his soul.
“Dix,” he soothed as he came to the side of the bed, “Honey, we’ll get you something right away. Please don’t cry.” He brushed his hand across her cheek to wipe away the tears.
Rushing through the doorway, Bob Allen breathlessly queried, “Joe? What’s wrong?”
Shaking his head, Joe couldn’t help but smile as he looked toward his colleague. “Dixie’s feeling some pain. Meperidine?”
Surprised, he nodded concurrence and went for the medication.
While he waited, Joe conducted a cursory examination, pleased beyond measure to discover that Dixie was indeed exhibiting signs of regaining both feeling and movement. In Joe’s book, it was definitely turning out to be a red-letter day.
********
“Rampart Emergency. May I help you?”
“May I speak with Doctor Kelly Brackett, please?”
“I’m sorry, he’s not available. Perhaps I could take a message?”
“How about his wife?”
“I’m sorry, that’s not possible.” Betty rolled her eyes in frustration.
“Can I help?” Joe mouthed from the other side of the counter.
With a nod of relief, she spoke into the telephone, “Hold on a minute, please.” Reaching across the counter to hand the receiver to Joe, she reported, “He wants to talk to Kell or Dixie.”
“This is Doctor Early,” he said. “May I help you?”
Frustrated, the speaker at the other end of the telephone said, “This is Sergeant Christopher, Port Hueneme Police Department. I need to speak with Doctor Kelly Brackett.”
“I’m handling Doctor Brackett’s affairs at the moment,” Joe told the police officer.
“Why?” he queried, at once suspicious.
“He was seriously injured in an automobile accident,” Joe told the police sergeant. He’s still recovering.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”
“A drunk driver,” Joe began.
“You’re kidding!” exclaimed the police sergeant. “Again?”
“What do you mean, ‘again’?” asked Joe.
“A couple of years ago, Doctor Brackett was in an accident up here,” the police officer told him. “We’ve found his car . . . . . . . . I guess I should say, what’s left of it . . . . . . . . and we wanted to let him know about it.”
“Do you know anything about the accident itself? Do you know what happened?” Joe asked.
“We have good reason to believe a drunk driver ran him off the road near Carpinteria.”
Joe shook his head in disbelief. He’d tried to help Dixie through all those months of uncertainty when none of them had known where Kell was or what had happened to him; he knew full well exactly how difficult a time that had been in his friends’ lives. Just how many times would a drunk driver deliver mayhem into the lives of innocent victims?
“Sergeant,” Joe said, “It’s not possible for me to leave here right now. Why don’t you tell me whatever it is that needs to be taken care of immediately and I’ll make sure that it gets done.”
“It can wait, Doctor, it’s not an urgent matter. Why don’t you just have him give us a call when he’s able?”
“Fine,” replied Joe. He listened as the police officer relayed the phone number, then he jotted it down on a notepad along with the officer’s name. Promising to deliver the message to Kell, Joe ended the conversation and handed the phone back to Betty.
“Thanks, Joe,” she said gratefully as she replaced the receiver.
“Sure,” smiled Joe as he tore the sheet from the notepad, folded it, and tucked it into his pocket. “Always glad to help!” As he turned toward the elevator, he added, “After I check on Kell and Dixie, I’m heading for home. See you tomorrow!”
********
“Joe,” Kell asked, his weak voice raspy. “How’s . . . . . . . . Dixie?”
“I was just up to see her. She’s doing fine,” Joe quietly soothed. “Now stop worrying and concentrate on getting better.”
Closing his eyes for a moment, he drew a breath and continued, “Dixie . . . . . . . . will . . . . . . . . be . . . . . . . . OK . . . . . . . . right?”
“You know I’ll take good care of her,” Joe replied softly. “Now, you need to take care of yourself. Stop worrying and try to rest.”
“Sure,” he murmured, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Joe sighed.
********
“The twins look a little tired,” Joe remarked as they sat around the dining room table eating dinner.
“We spent the whole day at the zoo,” Julie told him. “They had a great time, but it’s a lot of walking for little feet.”
“The zoo, huh?”
“Know what, Uncle Joe?” Kevin interjected; without waiting for a reply he went on, “The lions roared at us!”
“Did you have fun at the zoo?” Joe smiled.
“Yep,” Kevin replied, full of four-year-old seriousness. “Sure did.”
“And how about you, Miss Kelsie?” Joe asked as he turned his attention to his goddaughter. “Did you have fun at the zoo?”
Julie signed Joe’s questions to her; Kelsie smiled. Returning the smile, Joe tried to push his concerns for her aside. He knew Dixie worried about her, and, as the twins came closer and closer to their fifth birthday, Joe had begun to share her concerns.
********
“Can you play the Hushabye Mountain one for Kelsie?” asked Kevin as Joe slid across the piano bench. In the weeks they had been living with him, it had become their custom, after Julie had helped the twins get into their pajamas, for him to sit down at the piano and play a song or two for them before bed.
Joe smiled as he nodded his head and moved his fingers over the keyboard. He’d heard Dixie sing the song several times and he knew it was one of Kelsie’s special favorites.
He glanced over at her; smiling, she was cuddled up on Julie’s lap, clearly enjoying the soft little tune. Kevin had moved over to sit beside them and was, as he so often did, holding her hand. Joe once again found himself grateful that the twins had not been with their parents that terrible night and, thankful for their safety, he allowed himself the luxury of enjoying their presence.
********
“Doctor Early?”
“Please, Julie,” he answered with a smile, “it’s Joe.” He looked at her expectantly, waiting to hear her question.
She bypassed the name issue, jumping right into her question. “When do you think it will be possible for Kevin and Kelsie to see their parents?”
“Well,” Joe said, thinking it over, “they could probably see Kell right now, but I’m not too sure about taking them to see Dixie.”
“I think they need to see them,” she replied. After a momentary hesitation, she added, “I don’t mean to be telling you your business, Doctor Early . . . . . . . . Joe . . . . . . . . I just think it’s important for the children to be able to see their parents.”
“You’re probably right,” Joe replied. “Let me see what we can arrange.”
********
“How long has it been, Joe?”
“Since the accident? About five weeks.”
Kell looked at him in surprise. “Five . . . . . . . . weeks?” he stammered, staggered by the answer. “Five?”
Joe nodded as he softly remarked, “A very long five weeks.”
Kell, well on the road to recovery and now able to sit up in bed, seemed to be having some difficulty grasping the fact. Trying to distract him, Joe remarked, “Kevin and Kelsie want to see you.”
“Kevin and Kelsie?” He sighed, suddenly realizing that, if he and Dixie had been in the hospital for five weeks, then the twins had been . . . . . . . . “Where are they? Who’s taking care of them?”
“Take it easy, Kell. They’re fine,” Joe soothed. “They’re still at my house, and I’ve gotten someone to live in and take care of them until you can all go home again.” Gently resting his hand on his friend’s shoulder, he added, “There’s absolutely nothing for you to worry about.”
Gratefully, Kelly Brackett looked at his friend as he once again found himself saying, “Thanks, Joe.”
Joe smiled warmly. “Kevin and Kelsie are really great kids,” Joe enthused. “I might not give them back to you!” he teased.
Kell laughed.
“How about it? Are you feeling up to a visit with a couple of four-year-olds?”
The wide grin that spread across his face left no doubts.
********
Finally, they had been able to move Dixie out of critical care, but they continued to closely monitor her condition. Although she still had no memory of the accident itself, she had been awake and much more alert for the past several days, causing everyone to hope that she was, at long last, moving toward making a substantive recovery.
“Can you feel that?” Bob Allen asked her.
“Yes,” she answered. Joe stood beside her, silently observing.
“How about this?”
“Yes,” came the reply.
“And this?”
“Un-huh.”
“All right. Let’s see,” he said as he pulled away the blanket that covered her feet, “can you move your toes?”
Her brow knotted with concentration, Dixie willed her toes to wiggle. After what seemed to her to be an eternity, she managed the slightest of wiggles.
Joe grinned broadly. “All right!” he exclaimed.
Doctor Allen replaced the blanket. “Now, can you move your fingers?” he asked.
Encouraged by her hard-won success with her toes, Dixie worked at telling her fingers to move. The slight wriggly movement she managed brought an even bigger smile to Joe’s face. The road before them was still an uphill-all-the-way one, but, at long last it looked as if they’d made it through the dark valley . . . . . . . . and the sun was shining brightly on the other side.
********
Joe was handling the introductions. “Doctor Kelly Brackett,” he said and, indicating her, “Miss Julie Marsh.”
“How are you feeling, Doctor Brackett?” she immediately asked.
“Much better, thanks,” he responded with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Julie has been taking care of Kevin and Kelsie,” Joe told him.
“Thank you, Miss Marsh,” he said gratefully.
“They’re wonderful children,” she enthused. “And it’s ‘Julie’.”
Kell nodded. Kelsie was leaning against him as she sat beside him on the bed and Kevin was standing on his other side, tightly holding onto his hand.
********
“I like your friend,” Julie said warmly.
Joe looked across the table at her and smiled. They were sitting in the cafeteria, having lunch while they waited for the twins to be able to see Dixie. The visit with Kell had gone well and, after a hurried consultation between Joe and Bob Allen, it had been decided to let the twins see Dixie for just a minute.
“When will we go see Mommie?” Kevin asked as he bit into his hamburger.
“After lunch,” Joe told him with a smile. “But just for a minute because the doctors still have lots to do to help her get better.”
Kelsie, characteristically silent, immediately shoved the rest of her hamburger into her mouth and slipped out of the chair.
Julie smiled and reached out to pull the child into her lap. “Soon, Sweetheart,” she whispered in her ear. “Soon.”
********
Doctor Kelly Brackett was annoyed. Impatiently, he pounded on the call button, wondering what in the world was keeping the nurse. As the door opened, he muttered, “Finally!”
Coming into the room, Joe quietly asked, “What’s the problem?”
“Joe!” he exclaimed in surprise. “I thought you were upstairs with Dixie.”
“I’m just on my way there now,” he said. “I thought you might like to go along.”
Much to Joe’s consternation, Dixie was uncharacteristically displaying a tendency to become much too easily frustrated with herself. Under the best of circumstances, her recuperation was going to take a fair amount of time; her aggravation with her inability to get around was not helping the situation at all.
Joe was hoping that getting Kell upstairs to see her would put her in a better frame of mind. Besides, Kell had been pestering to go to see her ever since his condition had improved enough to allow him to sit up in the bed.
With a self-deprecating smile, Kell shook his head in amazement. “I’ve been pounding on this thing for five minutes now,” he said in frustration, indicating the call button, “hoping I could get someone to take me up there!” He looked at Joe, gratitude spilling from his eyes.
“Well,” Joe smiled, “I’m at your service.” Indicating the wheel-chair he’d brought in with him, he added, “Your chariot awaits, Doctor. Shall we go?” Joe helped him move out of the bed, got him settled in the wheelchair, and headed toward the elevator. Kelly Brackett had never learned to do dependency on others really well. Joe supposed that he never would.
********
“I’m worried about Kelsie,” Julie told him as she came from tucking the twins into bed.
“Why?” Joe queried. He’d been spending most of his time at the hospital lately, but he had not noticed anything particularly different about his goddaughter.
“She’s been even more quiet than usual,” Julie told him. “Ever since we took her to see her mother, she’s been more . . . . . . . .” Julie struggled as she sought to find the right word to describe her observations. “She’s kept more to herself . . . . . . . . almost withdrawn.” After a moment, she added, “Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for them to visit their mother, after all.”
“With Kelsie, it’s usually pretty hard to tell,” Joe told her. “Is she asleep now?”
“Not yet,” Julie said. “I tucked them both in, but she was still awake when I came downstairs.”
“I think I’ll go talk to her, then,” said Joe as he stood up. “Don’t worry,” he added, “I’m sure it will all turn out just fine.
********
Kelsie, tucked into bed, was still wide-eyed awake.
“Hey, Kelsie,” Joe said softly as he took hold of her hands and sat on the edge of the bed. “Is everything OK?”
He didn’t expect an answer, so he was surprised when she turned her head to look at him and said, “Mommie hurts.”
“Yes, she does,” Joe agreed with a nod, “but the doctors and nurses are working very hard to help her get well.”
She was quiet for a time, seemingly working to digest this piece of information. Suddenly she told him, “Inosine.”
********
“That’s a pretty wild idea,” Bob Allen told him. “It’s an unproven, experimental treatment. What made you even consider that?”
“I read something about it,” he replied vaguely. Joe was not about to tell his colleague that the suggestion had come from his four-year-old goddaughter. He’d learned not to be surprised at what Kelsie remembered, knew, or understood; instead he’d researched it and come to the conclusion that this still-experimental treatment might indeed be beneficial to Dixie’s recovery.
“Well, we can take a look at it and weigh all our options,” Bob said hesitantly. “But I doubt that inosine will do much good.”
“Let’s talk about it,” Joe encouraged. “It just might turn out to be the very thing we need.”
********
She was still asleep.
Sitting in the chair beside her bed, Kell looked toward the door and quietly said, “Good morning,” as Joe came into the room.
Speaking softly, Joe greeted him. He still experienced a rush of joy at seeing his friend up and around, finally well again. The horrible accident, which had ultimately claimed the lives of nine people, was slowly moving into the background of their lives; Kell was scheduled to be released from Rampart tomorrow and would stay with Joe while Dixie would be transferred to Rancho Los Amigos for continued physical therapy and rehabilitation.
“Are you sure she can’t stay here?” Kell queried worriedly.
“It’s better for her to go . . . . . . . . you know that,” Joe reminded him gently. “They have an amazing rehabilitation record out there,” he went on. “Kell, it’s her best chance for as complete a recovery as she can attain. It’s not all that far away. . . . . . . . you and the twins can visit her there as much as you want.”
********
Without much fanfare, Kell returned to his duties in Emergency a couple of weeks short of three months after the accident. He and the twins were still staying with Joe, which simplified almost everything. At first, Kell had thought to bring the twins back to the Child Care Center at Rampart, but after watching Julie with them for a few days, he decided they were doing just fine in her care. It was obvious that the children were extremely fond of her; the routine she had developed for the twins included a wide variety of activities and both children seemed to be thriving. Kell was impressed with her easygoing nature and her aptitude for meeting their needs. She seemed to have a special affinity for Kelsie and could actually coax an occasional word out of her. As far as Kell was concerned, there wasn’t a better place in all the world for his children to be than with her --- unless, of course, it was at home with Dixie.
Despite regular visits to the rehabilitation center in Downey, Kell felt disconnected from Dixie’s treatment. Frustrated, he fretted over the situation even though he knew she was getting the very best of care. She was making excellent progress, and it was beginning to look as if it might be possible for her to substantially recover from the massive injuries she’d sustained in the accident. But he found their separation difficult and he tended to resent not being able to be with her every day, even if the only thing he could do was offer her moral support bound up with his love.
Everyone had been wonderful to them, had gone the extra mile . . . . . . . . maybe an extra million miles, he wryly observed to himself . . . . . . . . to help them. Nevertheless, he found it difficult to have his family scattered and he sometimes felt as if the aftermath of this accident was somehow tearing them all apart.
Returning to Rampart, and a semblance of his normal routine, helped. He found it better to be busy . . . . . . . . and busy certainly didn’t leave him much time to sit around agonizing about not being able to be with Dixie as much as he would have liked.
********
Joe sighed contentedly. Kell had gone upstairs to read the twins a bedtime story; Julie was in the kitchen making coffee. He decided to go offer her his help. Heading toward the kitchen, Joe realized with a start that he had gotten quite used to having Julie around. Guiltily he admitted to himself that he wasn’t at all looking forward to having the twins go home . . . . . . . . for once they left, there’d be no reason for Julie to stay on any longer.
She looked up as he came into the kitchen. “Coffee’s almost ready.” She turned to face him. “May I ask you something?”
As he nodded, she took a quick breath, “Do you think it would be all right for me to plan a birthday party for Kevin and Kelsie?”
Joe was baffled by her concern.
“Would their parents think I’m trying to take over?” she fretted.
Joe chuckled. “Why in the world would they think that?”
“Well, it’s really not my place . . . . . . . .”
“But?”
“Considering all that’s happened, and how things are right now, it just seems like the right thing to do, to offer to help,” she went on, “unless you think they’d think I was overstepping . . . . . . . .”
“You’re not overstepping, Julie,” he interrupted. “I’m sure Dixie and Kell would be nothing but grateful if you planned a party.”
“Well, if you’re sure it’s all right . . . . . . . .” she offered hesitantly.
“I’m sure, Julie, I’m sure,” Joe laughed. “May I help?”
She nodded and the two of them put their heads together to plan a birthday party for the twins.
********
“I have something to show you,” Dixie said with a faint smile.
“What is it?”
“You’ll see in a little while,” she replied mysteriously.
He pushed the wheelchair down the hallway to the sunroom, one of her favorite places to sit and talk. He had been surprised at her request for him to make a special trip out to the rehabilitation center and he was just a bit curious as to the reason behind her unexpected plea. Still, he certainly didn’t mind, and he had to admit that any excuse for a visit with her would do. Or even no excuse at all . . . . . . . .
“Kell?” she quietly queried, interrupting his thought.
“What, Love?”
“Did you remember to bring the pictures?”
Gently lifting her from the wheelchair, Kell settled her in one of the four chairs near the window and then sat down beside her. Pulling the pictures from his jacket pocket, he handed them to her with a smile. Tears gathered in her eyes as she carefully scrutinized each one of the photographs as if to memorize them; with a soft smile, he reached over to take hold of her hand.
“How are you? And the twins? I miss being with you so much.”
Kell didn’t miss the tinge of despair echoing in her voice; he knew how difficult this long separation from her family was for her. “We’re all just fine,” he told her with a smile, “except, of course, that we can’t wait for you to be able to come home!”
“You’re still at Joe’s? Julie’s still there, taking care of the twins?”
He nodded.
“Good,” she replied. After a moment, she added, “She’s been wonderful for them. I have no idea how we’ll ever thank her for all that she’s done.”
Kell allowed that he had no idea of how to thank her, either.
“You know,” she mused with a far-away look in her eyes, “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she and Joe . . . . . . . .”
Kell laughed. “Playing matchmaker, Love?”
“Not at all!” she declared. “Just listen to Joe sometime . . . . . . . . I mean really listen . . . . . . . . and hear how he talks about her.”
Still chuckling, Kell shook his head. Dixie had never before displayed a propensity to matchmaking and he was amused at this unforeseen turn of events.
With a sigh, she awkwardly shifted in the chair, unsuccessful at finding some degree of comfort. The cumbersome back brace she wore these days was restrictive and uncomfortable, but with it on she could sit up or even stand up and . . . . . . . .
“How about I get you a pillow?” Kell asked. “Will that help?”
She nodded and he went across the room to pick up a couple of pillows from the sofa. Turning back to take the pillows to her, he was surprised to see her standing in front of the chair.
“Stay there,” she said quietly.
Slowly, hesitantly, she took a step. And another. And another. Despite his almost overwhelming urge to rush to her side and offer her the support of his arms, he forced himself to stand still as she falteringly moved closer and closer to him.
She fell into his arms, exhausted by the effort, laughing and crying at the same time. She had made it back.
********
“He must be angry, or he would be here,” she fretted.
Joe put his arm around her shoulders, giving her a gentle hug. “Not at all,” he said. “He’s probably just tied up at the hospital.” Although he was privately concerned, he didn’t wish to distress Julie any further. Chuckling, he added, “That happens to us doctors quite a bit, you know!”
The twins were gallivanting around the huge backyard with their friends. Julie had arranged for pony rides and all the children seemed to be having a marvelous time. The party was in high gear with balloons and streamers floating everywhere.
“He’ll be here,” Joe said, “but I can call Rampart and check.”
She smiled with relief at the suggestion, so he headed inside to call as Julie turned her attention to the yard full of children. A moment later he was back, looking vaguely concerned.
“What’s wrong, Joe?” she asked, her voice filling with worry.
“Probably nothing,” he said, as much to convince himself as her. “Mike said Kell left a couple of hours ago.” After a moment of hesitation, he added, “I’m sure he’ll be here any minute now.”
“Uncle Joe?”
Joe stooped down beside his godchildren. “Yes, Kevin?”
“Where’s my daddy?” Kevin looked at him expectantly; Kelsie stood at his side, holding his hand.
Joe took a deep breath; “He’s coming,” he hesitantly told Kevin.
Julie ruffled his hair as she said, “He’ll be here soon.”
“Mommie!”
The instant Kelsie spotted Dixie, the two children darted off. Surprised, Joe stood and turned around, his eyes filling with tears of joy as he saw Kell and Dixie standing together in the grass at the corner of the house. The twins had reached them; Kell lifted Kelsie up so that she could give her mother a hug; putting her down, he then repeated the process with Kevin.
Joe put his arm around Julie once again. “Come on,” he said excitedly as he hurried her across the grass. Smiling broadly, he jubilantly observed, “This is going to be one great party!”
Dixie smiled as she caught sight of Joe and Julie heading their way.
Coming up to join them, Joe asked the twins, “Did you ride the pony yet?”
“Watch, Mommie! Watch us!” Kevin called over his shoulder as he pulled Kelsie along toward the pony rides. ‘We’re gonna ride on the pony!”
Laughing, Dixie smiled at Kell as he put his arm around her waist. She called after the twins, “I’m watching!” Then, turning her attention to Julie, she asked, “You did all this?”
Julie nodded, her eyes suddenly filling with worried concern.
“It’s . . . . . . . . just . . . . . . . . wonderful!” Dixie told her warmly, shaking her head in amazement. “Thank you so much!”
As the four adults slowly moved across the grass toward the lawn chairs, Julie heaved a quiet sigh of relief. Joe, his arm still around her shoulders, chuckled quietly and whispered, “Told you!”
The twins’ birthday party was a smashing success.
********
“I’m sorry, Joe,” she said quietly as he came into the living room. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t,” he told her. “What’s the matter, can’t you sleep?”
She shook her head. “Too excited about being home, I guess.”
“We’re all pretty excited about that, Dixie!” he exclaimed.
She smiled briefly. “This sure has been a tough one, huh, Joe?”
Eyes somber, he nodded. “Boy, I’ll say,” he sighed as he sat in the chair next to hers. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared, not in my entire life!”
“Thanks for being there, Joe, for always being there,” she said softly, earnestly.
“You’re my family, and that’s what family does,” he told her with a gentle smile.
Looking him straight in the eyes, she shifted gears as she asked, “And what about Julie?”
“What about her?” he chuckled to cover his self-consciousness.
“Don’t let her go, Joe,” she said tenderly, her gaze steady.
Joe remained silent.
“Joe,” she said, touching his arm lightly.
He looked at her. “What do you suggest I do?” he teased lightly.
“Marry her.”
Shaking his head, he dropped his gaze. “Don’t you think I’m just a little too old to start thinking about walking down that road?”
“No,” she told him unequivocally. “Absolutely not.” After a pause, she softly added, “Joe, after all this . . . . . . . .”
“Dix . . . . . . . .”
“You never know what’s going to happen, Joe,” she continued, ignoring his attempt to get a word into the conversation. Deter-mined to make her point, she resolutely went on, “After this, we of all people ought to know how essential it is to make sure we say the important things, that we do the right things . . . . . . . .” She paused, then added, “Joe, you’ve got to follow your heart.”
Joe continued his silence.
“Joe,” she said quietly, taking hold of his hand, “it’s just that I care about you. I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy,” he protested weakly.
She sighed as she shook her head. “Kell thinks I’m match-making,” she told him with a quiet chuckle. “But I see it in your eyes when you look at her, I hear it in your voice when you talk about her, even when you just mention her name . . . . . . . . You’ll regret it if you let her go, Joe.”
Silence settled around them. After a time, Joe quietly admitted, “It’s just so strange, Dix. If it hadn’t been for the accident, I’d never even have met her. And now that you and Kell are well, the twins will go home with you --- and that’s how it should be, how I want it to be --- and yet, at the same time, I . . . . . . . .”
“No reason for her to stay, huh, Joe?” Dixie interrupted with a smile. He shook his head.
“Except maybe the best reason of all,” she gently told him.
“And what might that be?”
“That you want her to stay.” Dixie told him.
Joe sighed. “In some ways, it was a whole lot easier when all I had to do was worry about you getting well!”
Dixie laughed lightly, and for the first time since that day in the break room, Joe was reminded of wind chimes tinkling in the soft summer breeze.
********
Julie was pouring a cup of coffee when he came downstairs. The house was quiet; everyone else was still sleeping.
“Guess we wore the twins out with the party!” he laughed as he came into the kitchen.
Julie smiled in reply as she poured another cup of coffee.
“How much longer will the twins be here?” she tentatively asked as they settled down on the patio with their coffee.
“I don’t know,” Joe told her with a sigh. “Maybe a week or so, just until Dixie gets a bit more adjusted to being home again.”
She blinked fast, fighting the gathering of tears. “I’ll sure miss them,” she whispered, a hint of sadness evident in her voice.
“I’ll miss you,” Joe said softly. Julie looked up at him, a mixture of surprise and amused delight shining in her emerald eyes. Impulsively taking advantage of the moment, he softly added, “I don’t want you to go.”
Tears filling her eyes, she told him, “I’d really rather stay,” and she leaned over to give him a kiss.
He kissed her back, silently discovering that, in that moment, everything in his world had suddenly become absolutely perfect.
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