by Al Lacy
Dr. Lynch shook his head. “Not now. He left after I went back to the waiting room and told him about you.”
Tharyn’s body stiffened and her brow furrowed. A cold ball formed in her stomach. A note of concern seeped into her voice as she raised her head from the pillow. “He’s gone?”
The doctor smiled and patted her arm. “He said he would be back this evening to see you.”
Relief showed in her eyes. She relaxed and eased her head back on the pillow. “Oh, thank you, Doctor, for telling me that. I was afraid maybe he had left for good.” She closed her eyes, swallowed hard, and opened them again. “How silly of me. He did promise that he would see me through this. Without him I would be all alone.”
“Tharyn, don’t be tough on yourself. You’ve been through a horrible ordeal. But that young man impressed me. I’m sure he meant it when he said he would see you through this. He’ll be back this evening.”
Tharyn made a tiny smile. “Of course he will. I can’t wait to see him again.”
Nurse Yetter turned to the doctor. “How soon do you want her to have another sedative?”
He looked down at his patient. “Wait a couple of hours.”
“All right.”
Tharyn frowned again. “Doctor, could we wait till after Dane has come to see me? I want to be fully awake when he’s here.”
Lynch looked at the nurse, then at Tharyn. “All right. I won’t order another sedative between now and then as long as you can remain in a quiet state.”
“I will, Doctor. Promise.”
“All right. Well, I have other patients to tend to. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
Nurse Yetter said, “I have some things to do, Tharyn. You lie here and rest. I’ll be back in a little while.”
Tharyn nodded.
The nurse picked up a small bell from the table beside the bed. “See this?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“If you need anything while I’m gone, just ring it. Someone will be here in a hurry.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Tharyn watched doctor and nurse leave the room, then laid her head back and closed her eyes. Suddenly a huge wave of grief and loneliness engulfed her as she faced the fact that her parents and aunt were dead. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she gave in to her anguish.
After giving free rein to her sorrow for several minutes, she slowly began to feel some healing from the tears. She sat up in the bed, and using a corner of the sheet, she mopped her face and dried her tears while looking out the window at the buggies and carriages moving past the hospital down on the street.
A cold chill came over her when she spied a team of horses pulling a wagon similar to the one that had killed her parents and her aunt. She buried her face in the pillow, closed her red-rimmed eyes, and wept once more. When the weeping subsided, she laid her head back on the pillow, closed her eyes again, and pictured her mother and father.
She let her wounded mind drift back over her brief thirteen years as their daughter. “Oh, Mommy, Daddy, how will I ever live without you? Why did you have to die?”
Tears once again threatened to overwhelm her, and she forced her mind away from the death of her parents, trying to think of something else. Instantly Dane Weston came to mind. She thought of the impact of his body against hers when he came on the run and removed her from harm’s way, and how they rolled on the sidewalk and slammed into the stairs of the tenement.
Her hand went to the bruises on her cheek. “Because of you, Dane,” she said in a whisper, “all I have are these bruises. If you hadn’t been willing to risk your life to save mine, my body would also be lying in the morgue.”
She took a deep, shuddering breath. “Dane, you are the best friend I’e ever had. You’re the nicest boy I’ve ever met. If I had a brother, I’d want him to be just like you.”
That evening, Tharyn was sitting up in her bed with another nurse at her side when they heard footsteps in the hall, and Dane entered the room with Dr. Lee Harris at his side.
A smile spread over Dane’s face when he saw Tharyn awake and sitting up. The nurse looked on with pleasure when she saw tears mist Tharyn’s blue eyes as she opened her arms and reached for him, speaking his name.
Dane wrapped his arms around her as she clung to him, then for a moment, they just held on to each other.
When they eased back in each other’s arms, Dane looked into her eyes. “Are you all right, Tharyn?”
She managed a sweet smile. “Much better, now that you’re here.”
He held her gaze briefly. “Tharyn, I want you to meet Dr. Lee Harris. He’s a friend of mine. He takes care of the children in the alleys in our neighborhood. That’s how I met him. He and his wife have been very good to me. They take me to church with them.”
Tharyn extended her hand to the doctor. He took it gently in his own. “I’m very glad to meet you, little lady. Dane has told me all about what happened today. I’m so sorry about your loss, but I’m glad that you are still alive.”
Tharyn managed another smile. “Thank you, sir. If it weren’t for Dane, I would have been killed, too.” She turned her eyes on Dane. “He risked his own life to save mine.”
Dane’s features tinted. “I only did what anybody would have done.”
“I disagree,” said Dr. Harris. “Not everyone has that much courage.”
“Tharyn told me the story, Dane,” said the nurse. “I agree with Dr. Harris.”
Dane’s face tinted deeper.
“Oh!” said Tharyn. “Where are my manners? Dane, Dr. Harris, this is my nurse for this shift. Her name is Betty Thaxter.”
Betty shook hands with Dane, then the doctor. “Dr. Harris, we have never met, but I have heard about you. I can say that you are well-respected for the work you do in your part of the city, helping poor families who would not otherwise be able to afford medical care and helping those poor little waifs who live on the streets. You are to be commended.”
It was Dr. Harris’s turn to have a tinted face. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Dane had discussed Tharyn’s plight with Dr. Harris on their way to the hospital, saying he hoped she would accept his offer to come live in the alley with his colony. Not quite sure how to broach the subject, he prayed in his heart, asking the Lord to help him.
Dr. Harris knew the boy was about to talk to her about it. He nodded as if to say, “It’ll be all right, son. Go ahead.”
Dane took in a small gulp of air and said softly, “Tharyn, Dr. Harris came with me at my request. I wanted him to check on you and see if all is well. We’ll talk about that in a moment, but there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”
She looked into his dark brown eyes and found another smile to give him. “Yes, Dane?”
“Well, I know you haven’t had much time to think about all that is involved in what has happened, and I’m sure you are still in shock to some degree. But some decisions must be made right away.”
She looked at him with a puzzled frown creasing her flawless brow. “What are you talking about, Dane?”
“Tharyn, your family has been taken from you, and you told me that you have no other relatives.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any friends or neighbors who might take you into their home?”
The puzzled look altered into one of confused despair. In a tiny voice, she said, “No, Dane. There are some friends and neighbors, but there aren’t any who would want to take me into their home and finish raising me. There are none who would want that expense or that responsibility. I have no one. I’m as alone in this world as you are. If Aunt Althea had lived, I know she would have taken me, but she’s gone, and there’s no one.”
Silent tears pooled in Tharyn’s eyes and slowly slid down her cheeks. The pain of her grief and the weight of the world reflected in her eyes as they sought Dane’s.
Wanting to calm her fears the best he could, Dane took her hand in his. Tears splashed on the
ir joined hands as Tharyn tried to stem their flow.
Dane squeezed her hand. “Tharyn, don’t you worry. I’ve got it all worked out.”
She sniffed. “You do?”
“Well, it’s not the Ritz Hotel, nor anything near what you’re used to, but I’ve talked to the kids in my colony, and they are willing to take you in. I … I wish I could offer you more, but as you know, my situation is much the same as yours. How about it? Would you like to join our colony?”
Tharyn’s eyes took on a distant look as her mind flashed back to the humble tenement where she had lived with her parents. We didn’t have much, but Mommy kept it shiny clean and it always smelled of pine soap and delicious aromas. We were happy there. Oh, Daddy, Mommy … I miss you so!
A sigh escaped her lips, then she lifted her gaze up to meet Dane’s.
He smiled. “Well, how about it?”
She smiled back. “I’d love to join your colony, Dane.”
Their tear-stained hands were still joined. “Good! As soon as they let you out of here, I’ll take you home.”
Dr. Harris smiled and winked at Dane.
Tharyn’s eyes misted. “Thank you so much, Dane. I don’t know what would have become of me if it weren’t for you.”
“I’m glad to be able to help you, Tharyn. Living on the streets is no picnic, but when you have other friends there with you, it isn’t so bad. I well remember how hard it was for me until I found my little group in the alley. You’ll love them as I do, and I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
Tharyn smiled through her tears. “That means more to me than I can tell you.” She used a corner of the sheet to dry the tears that had fallen on Dane’s hand. She then twined her fingers with his. “Thank you again, Dane, for coming to my rescue and saving my life.”
“I’m just glad I was there when those horses bolted, Tharyn. And if I’m ever called upon to rescue you again, I’ll do it gladly.”
She dipped her head shyly, then looked up at him. “Dane, I’ve always wanted a big brother. Would you be that for me? Can I call you my big brother?”
At first, Dane was stunned by the request, but the idea slowly brought a smile to his face. “Being your big brother would make me very happy, Tharyn, as long as I can call you my little sis.”
Tharyn’s smile was from ear to ear. Her face lit up and there was a sparkle in her eyes. She slipped her fingers from his, then extended her hand. “It’s a deal, big brother!”
Dane gripped the small hand extended to him, and a pact was sealed between the two homeless children.
Dr. Harris looked on with pleasure, then said to the nurse, “Dane told me that Dr. Walter Lynch is Tharyn’s doctor. He and I know each other. Since he works the day shift, he’s gone home by now, but would it be all right if I check her over?”
“Of course, Doctor,” said Betty. “Even though we haven’t met before, I know you have privileges here at Mercy Hospital. However, it just so happens that Dr. Lynch is still here. He was about to leave for home just as this shift started. An ambulance came in with an elderly woman who had fallen from a second story balcony at her apartment house, and emergency surgery was necessary. Dr. Lynch was called upon to do it. I was out of the room briefly a half hour ago. One of the nurses told me he was still in surgery, and from what she said, he would be for another hour or so. You go ahead and examine Tharyn. I’ll go see how close he might be to finishing up.”
Harris nodded. “All right.”
As soon as Nurse Thaxter was out of the room, Dr. Harris checked Tharyn over, asking questions to ascertain her emotional stability. When he had listened to her heart, examined her eyes with a light reflector, and taken her temperature, he told her and Dane that she was fine. He was sure if she did not take a turn for the worse with her emotions during the night, she would probably be released tomorrow.
While they were waiting for Nurse Thaxter to return, Dane said, “Tharyn, you know that the street waifs beg for money on the street corners, don’t you?”
“Yes. I’ve seen them many times.”
“Do you think it will bother you to beg?”
“No. If they can do it, so can I.”
“Good. I beg with my friends in the afternoons, too. And most of the money I make from my job at the pharmacy goes into the food fund. I keep a dollar or two in my pocket for emergencies. And then, of course, some days we don’t do so well in the begging department. When the food fund is empty, we sometimes get leftover food from the Blue Jay Café. And there are times when the only food we can get our hands on is in the garbage cans behind the café.”
Tharyn nodded. “I know about that.”
“Does this bother you?”
“Dane, if you and the others can eat it, I can, too.”
At that moment, Nurse Thaxter entered the room with Dr. Walter Lynch on her heels. The doctors smiled at each other and shook hands.
Looking toward Tharyn, Dr. Harris said, “I checked her over.”
“Yes,” said Lynch. “Mrs. Thaxter told me. What do you think?”
“She looks all right to me. I think the initial shock has worn off now.”
“That’s my opinion, too. She’s doing much better.”
“So when will you release her?”
“If she’s still doing as well tomorrow morning, I’ll release her by noon.”
“Good. Dane and I will be in church services in the morning, but we’ll come to the hospital to pick her up right after the morning service. We’ll be here about twelve-thirty.”
“That will be fine, Dr. Harris. I’m fully optimistic about being able to release her at that time.”
“Dr. Lynch, has anything been said to you about when the funeral for Tharyn’s parents will be held?”
“No. I haven’t heard any word on that. You probably should check with the police department.”
“I will.”
Dane was standing next to Tharyn’s bed, and as the funeral was mentioned, he felt her tense up. He took hold of her hand and gave it a good squeeze. She looked into his eyes, showing gratitude in her expression.
Betty Thaxter moved to the head of the bed. “Well, Tharyn, it’s time for your sedative. We want you to sleep well tonight.”
Dr. Harris said, “Dane, we need to be going.”
“Dr. Harris, it was good to see you again,” said Dr. Lynch. “Any date set on your retirement?”
Dane’s head came around at Lynch’s question.
“Sometime in the next six months,” said Harris. “This old body is demanding it.”
“I understand,” said Lynch, who was barely in his fifties. “This city’s going to lose one of its very finest doctors when that happens.”
Harris smiled. “Thank you, Doctor.”
The two physicians shook hands, and Dr. Lynch hurried away.
Tharyn looked up at Dr. Harris. “Thank you for coming.”
“My pleasure, Tharyn. See you tomorrow.”
She turned her eyes on Dane. “Thank you for caring enough to take me into your colony.”
Dane patted her arm. “Hey, a big brother should care about his little sister.”
Tears filmed her eyes. “Thank you for being my big brother.”
“I always kissed my little sister, Diane, good night, so now I will do that with you.” He bent down and planted a tender kiss on her forehead.
Tharyn’s tears began spilling down her cheeks as she watched Dane and the elderly Dr. Harris go out the door.
As Dr. Harris was driving Dane toward the neighborhood where his colony lived, Dane turned on the seat and looked at him by the light of the lamps along the way. “Dr. Harris, I didn’t know you were making plans to retire.”
The doctor guided the horse around a corner, then met Dane’s gaze.
“It’s just about time, son. Like I told Dr. Lynch, this old body is demanding it.”
Dane nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said with a sad tone in his voice. “You said you were planning to retire sometime in the next si
x months.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Then what?”
“It looks like we’ll be moving to Roanoke, Virginia, so we can live close to our son and his family.”
“I see. Well … ah … it would be nice if you could live close to them.” He paused briefly, then asked, “How will you get Lawanda to Virginia, since she’s afraid of people? I mean, how could you get her on a train?”
“We won’t be able to do that. We’ll have to buy a covered wagon and drive down.”
“Oh. Sure. That would work. Six months, huh?”
“Well, that all depends on how soon I can find a young doctor to take over my practice. Shouldn’t be too hard. The hospitals in the five boroughs have a great number of young medical school graduates doing their internship, and they’re chomping at the bit to finish that so they can get into their own practices.”
“Guess I don’t have to tell you, sir, but I’m going to miss you. I … I sure hope whatever doctor takes over your practice will look after my little colony like you do.”
Dr. Harris chuckled. “That will have to be part of the agreement when the sale is made, Dane. I promise.”
Soon the doctor pulled the buggy up to the end of the alley where Dane’s friends were watching for him. Dr. Harris told him he would pick him up at the usual time in the morning, and Dane jumped out of the buggy and hurried to his friends. They quickly gathered around him, wanting to know how Tharyn was doing and if she was going to join them.
They were glad when Dane told them she was doing well and was indeed going to join them.
Later, in his cardboard box, Dane fell asleep praying for Tharyn.
After church the next day, Dr. Harris and Dane drove to the hospital. They entered the lobby and approached the front desk.
The receptionist smiled at the doctor as they drew up. “Hello, Dr. Harris. Nice to see you.”
“You too, Isabel. My young friend and I are here to pick up a thirteen-year-old girl named Tharyn Myers. She’s in room 123. Has Dr. Lynch released her?”
Isabel looked down at a sheet of paper before her. “Yes, he has, Doctor. You will need to pay the bill at the cashier’s desk.”