BROWNIE: An Angel's Visit

by Linda Stanley Dalton

  Alan ignored her. “And then I realized he was the nurse who with us in the OR—Kevin Browne!” He shook his head in amazement. “Jeb, did you know he’s an angel?”

  Jeb could not help the smile that spread across his face. “Yes, Alan, I do, but I didn’t know it until after the accident on my way home from having dinner with you. I didn’t know during Michael’s surgery, but Kenni did.”

  “I’m not hearing this!” Leslie’s eyes widened at what Jeb said. “Are you substantiating this insane, ludicrous claim of his that this teddy bear in his study—which conveniently disappeared—turned into an angel and works as a nurse at your hospital? Are you all nuts? I feel like I’m in the middle of the freaking Twilight Zone!”

  “Maybe,” Jeb replied and chuckled, “but if we are, it isn’t Brownie’s fault.”

  The ring tone on Jeb’s cell phone made its presence known. Frowning Jeb pulled it from his pocket. “It’s the hospital,” he said with a glance at his wife and then answered the call. It was Jeff Anderson. “I’ll be right there,” Jeb replied and finished the soda in his glass in one thirsty gulp.

  “Michael?” Kenni asked, wide-eyed, and squeezed his hand.

  Jeb nodded. “It may be good news, though, Kenni. Jeff said that there are signs of definite improvement.” He patted her knee. “Can you pack up that pizza for me? I can eat it on the way.”

  “Can I tag along?” Alan asked.

  Jeb shrugged. “Sure, if you want to.”

  Leslie rolled her eyes. “And what am I supposed to do?” Her arms were crossed and she looked ready to throw a punch at him. Her dark eyes smoldered as she glared up at him from beneath the fringe of long, thick bangs. “I wish I had stayed home and let you make a fool of yourself on your own. Now I’m stuck here in a nightmare!”

  Alan reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to their rental car. With a flat expression he tossed them to her. They bounced off of her hand and fell onto the couch. “Do whatever you want,” he said in a harsh, impatient voice and it was obvious to the others that he was expending great effort to control himself. “Leslie, you can go to the hotel, or you can stay here and visit with Kenni; it’s your choice. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Kenni grimaced as her reluctant guest blushed hotly. She felt sorry for Leslie, who was now obviously embarrassed and distraught. “Leslie, if you want to stay here with me and visit, you’re more than welcome,” she offered as she tried to put her at ease. “But if you’re tired and want to go to your motel and unwind, I understand. It’s been a long day for me too.”

  Keys in hand, Leslie got to her feet. She shook her head as she narrowed her dark eyes at Alan. “You are making a complete ass of yourself with all this God and angel crap.” She picked up her coat which she had draped across the back of the sofa and slipped it on while Alan looked at her wordlessly. “I’ve put up with all your little quirks, but this one is just too much. Go to hell, Alan! And take your angel and his crazy friends with you. I want nothing to do with them, or with you!” Without another word, Leslie Springfield hurried through the room to the front door and slammed it behind her as she made her way out into the cold Ohio night.

  “Aren’t you going after her?” Jeb asked as he got to his feet. “Alan, c’mon man! She doesn’t even know where she is.”

  “No,” he replied with a shake of his head. He ran his hands through his hair. Leslie was part cat, part drama queen; she always landed on her feet. He had witnessed many scenes with his wife over the course of their marriage, and Alan wasn’t worried about her. “It’s a long story, Jeb. She needs to calm herself down, and get away from me until she figures out what it is she wants. With the way she’s acted since Brownie’s appearance, I’m prepared that I may not be it anymore.”

  They heard the sound of screeching tires outside the window. Kenni got up and hurried to the window.

  “She’s fine, Kenni,” Alan called out to her. “It’s just Leslie being Leslie; she always does this when we have a fight. Our driveway has more black tire marks than the track at Indy.”

  There was no trace of her as Kenni looked outside into the night. “If you’re sure she’s okay.” She turned her attention from the window and toward her husband’s old friend. There was no outward sign that he was concerned about his wife as Alan got to his feet.

  ***

  Later, Kenni was straightening up the kitchen and preparing to head off to bed when the sound of the doorbell broke the silence, startling her. Apprehensively, she made her way to the front door and looked through the peephole. She recognized Leslie Springfield who was standing outside in the cold night air and immediately opened the door. “Is everything okay?”

  “I left my cell here,” Leslie replied as she brushed past Kenni without a glance and entered the house. “It must have fallen out of my coat pocket.”

  Kenni watched as Leslie searched the area around the sofa for her phone. She didn’t know what to make of this woman, what to say. Part of her wished she would find her phone and leave, and another part, the one that was driven by compassion for others, wondered if there was anything she could do to help her.

  “Did you find it?” she asked in a quiet voice.

  “No!” Leslie shook her head for perhaps the millionth time since Kenni had met her. “Wait, maybe I put it in my purse instead of my pocket. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore since Alan had this freaking aberration!” She rummaged through the black leather bag and pulled out the phone. “Okay, now I at least have my phone.” She shoved it back inside her purse, zipped it and slung it over her shoulder.

  “Leslie, would you like a cup of tea, or a cold drink?” Kenni asked hesitantly. To her, Leslie looked too frazzled to be out driving in bad weather and on unfamiliar roads.

  Leslie shook her head. She wanted no part of anyone who bought into Alan’s angel scenario and obviously believed in it herself. “No, thank you. I don’t mean to appear rude, Candy, but I don’t want to be anywhere near here right now. My phone has GPS service, I’m sure I can find the interstate from here.”

  “My name is Kenni,” she corrected in a gentle voice. “I’m just concerned about you. You’re obviously upset and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. Are you sure you won’t stay for a bit? You’re more than welcome here.”

  Leslie tilted her head as she looked at Kenni. She folded her arms as their eyes met. “Why would you be concerned about me?” she asked and a nervous-sounding giggle escaped her throat. “I mean, you don’t even know me, I’m the wife of a man you hardly know and all I’ve done is bitch and moan since we were introduced! Why should you care about me? I’ll be honest; I don’t care about people I don’t know. No offense, Candy.”

  “My name is Kenni, short for Kendall,” she corrected again, getting the feeling that the other woman was deliberately calling her by the wrong name.

  Leslie shrugged. “We won’t see each other again, so does it really matter… Kenni?”

  Kenni was taken aback by the bluntness of Leslie’s response and wondered why she seemed so angry. “I’m a nurse, Leslie, and a Christian.” She did her best to ignore it when Leslie immediately rolled her eyes. “I care about people. When I see someone in distress, particularly when they’re a guest in my home, I can’t help but offer to help. Of course, you’re free to refuse it.”

  Leslie looked down at the plush, plum shade of carpet beneath her feet. She didn’t want to insult the woman who was obviously reaching out to her, but she didn’t want to be reached out to, not by one of them. No, she’d had enough of supposed do-gooders spouting off about a God they claimed to serve while it was actually themselves they served. She had gone through all of that with her grandfather; watched him act so saintly in church, while all the while he was beating her grandmother and swindling his neighbors. She hated him and all he stood for. The scandal nearly brought her entire family down when word leaked out just who Sebastian Connorson Moore truly was.

  Looking into the curious eyes of her h
ostess, she saw no reason to think that this woman who admitted to knowing an angel was any different than the rest—and it was none of her business anyway. “Thank you for your concern, Candy or Kenni, whoever the hell you are, but don’t waste your time. I don’t need anything from you, or from your so-called God.”

  “Let me see you out,” Kenni said flatly, too tired to continue trying to put her at ease. She escorted Leslie to the door, and when she opened it she noticed that it was no longer flurrying, but big flakes were now falling from the grayish sky and sticking to the road. “Are you sure you can find your way?”

  “I’ll find it,” Leslie said in a voice colder than the ambient temperature. “Any idiot can use a GPS.” With that she walked outside and Kenni closed and locked the door behind her.

  “Oh Lord, what was that all about?” Kenni asked as she leaned her back against the closed door.

  Chapter 26

  “What do you think?” Jeff Anderson asked Jeb, his ebony eyes fixed on his colleague and watching him intently as Jeb studied the comments and observations annotated in Michael’s chart. He chuckled softly, a nervous habit that slipped out when he was excited or nervous, an unbroken mannerism left over from his youth. “This could be that miracle we’ve been praying for.”

  “He actually squeezed your hand?” Jeb was incredulous as he looked up from the chart. The other doctor nodded. “This is extremely encouraging.” Despite feeling weary from another long and exhausting day, Jeb smiled a grin so wide that it seemed to swallow up the rest of his face. He lived for moments like this one, and was always grateful when the hoped-for signs that a very ill patient might be turning the corner toward recovery appeared. “Wouldn’t it be a wonderful present for Lauren?”

  “Amen!” Jeff nodded. “I think we may just get him back, all of his vitals are coming up. I can’t think of a better Christmas present for any parent.” He smiled, displaying deep dimples and a flash of white teeth against his dark skin tone. “Wouldn’t that be just like God?”

  Alan’s curiosity got the better of him and he couldn’t help but peek over Jeb’s shoulder to peer at Michael’s chart. “It’s a miracle,” he said softly. “It’s an absolute miracle!”

  Jeb cleared his throat in response to Alan’s comment. “What was that? I thought you didn’t believe in miracles,” he teased, “unless they come from your scalpel, of course. It seems to me that a very short time ago, a certain Doctor Springfield was stodgily cemented in his own belief that medicine delivered by humans was the only form of care and intervention in existence.”

  Alan shrugged; he’d been expecting a zinger or two from his old friend. “A lot has changed; actually, I think I’ve stepped backward in time.” He grinned at the confused expression on Jeb’s face, the furrowed brow and narrowed, skeptical eyes. “We’ll talk about all of that later.”

  “Whatever you say, Alan,” Jeb said, laughing softly. “In all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never failed to surprise me. No one can ever accuse you of being predictable.”

  “Then you’re in for a treat,” Alan teased. “Hey, may I join you and Jeff when you examine Michael?”

  “I don’t see why not. After all, it was the God-given talent found in your fingers that successfully removed the tumor.”

  The sound of an excited voice filled the air, attracting their attention as she cried out, “Doctors!”

  The trio turned toward the female voice of Nurse Martin coming from the doorway of Michael’s room. Abigail Martin, a nurse Jeb and Kenni both believed to have the loving touch like an angel, stood in the doorway. Beneath the soft curtain of medium-length, light brown hair with golden highlights, her face was flushed, practically mirroring her hot pink scrubs. It began at her neck and retreated beneath the fringe of her bangs. Merry blue eyes twinkled as they started toward her. “Michael opened his eyes and asked for his mom.” She dabbed at the tears welling in her eyes with the edge of a finger. “Praise God!”

  “That’s incredible!” Jeb cried. He was tempted to ask Abigail if she was certain but he knew better; she was a seasoned veteran who had been caring for the children at Brannan’s Point Pediatric for thirty years. “Did it happen just now?”

  She nodded. “Yes, Doctor Hastings, I called out to you the moment it occurred.” She glanced quickly into the room, then back at the doctors who were now standing just outside the doorway. “I was checking his IV. When I looked down at him, he was staring up at me with his gorgeous blue eyes, I couldn’t believe it!” She clutched at her ample bosom with small freckled hands and sighed. “What a glorious night this has become!”

  Jeb entered the room first. Michael’s eyes immediately met his, focusing attentively on Jeb’s face. “Hi, Doctor Jeb, is Mom here?” His voice was clear, and his words were completely understandable without a hint of slowness or of slurring.

  Jeb smiled happily, elated at the surreal sight before him. Michael lay looking up at him with his amazing eyes. He couldn’t wait to let Lauren know that Michael was recovering, and turned to Jeff. “Doctor Jeff, I think you should give this young man’s mom a call.”

  Jeff’s dark eyes blinked. “Don’t you want to be the one to call, Doctor Jeb? After all, you are Michael’s primary physician. The honor should go to you.”

  Jeb knew his colleague did not always receive credit or recognition for much of the work he did. Jeff covered mostly the night rotations in order to help care for his elderly mother who lived with his family and was not as mobile as she once was. His preference often put him out of the line of recognition. Jeb never claimed victory as something exclusively his own. After giving the glory first to God, Jeb always credited the team effort.

  “Jeff, go call Lauren. She’ll be so happy to hear the wonderful news.”

  With a smile, Jeff nodded and hurried off to call Michael’s mother.

  “Doctor Jeff is on his way to call your mom and tell her the good news,” Jeb told him in a quiet voice. He shook his head, continuing to marvel at the sight before him. Michael was somewhat pale, his eyes sunken ever so slightly within their orbits—something not uncommon in someone who had been under anesthesia, but he was fully alert and awake.

  Michael licked his dry lips. “Can I have something to drink? I’m really thirsty, Doctor Jeb.”

  “After I examine you, young man, you can have just about anything you want!”

  “Did I miss Christmas?” Michael asked, obviously trying to figure out how long he had been asleep. “Is Brownie still here? I need to ask him something.”

  “No on both counts, Michael,” Jeb explained softly as he listened to the boy’s heart and breathing; both were perfectly normal. “I haven’t seen Brownie tonight.”

  Michael yawned. “Brownie came to say goodbye.” He looked solemnly at Jeb. “Can’t you make him stay, Doctor Jeb? He said he was going home for Christmas. I hope he comes back after that, but I got a feeling he won’t. I wanted him to tell my dad something for me.”

  Jeb tried not to react to Michael’s comments as he lowered the stethoscope from his ears. Brownie’s leaving saddened him, but it seemed appropriate that he should return to Heaven for Christmas. He wondered how much Brownie’s presence had affected Michael’s recovery. Jeb knew that healing came only from God, yet he couldn’t help but wonder what Brownie’s presence had brought to the patients and staff of Brannan’s Point Pediatric, and whoever else in the community he may have touched.

  “Michael, Brownie works for Nurse Kenni. I’ll ask her what she knows, but if he needs to go home there isn’t anything we can do to stop him. I don’t think it would be fair to even try, do you?”

  Alan was disappointed. He had hoped to be able to see Brownie once more, to let him know that he had paid attention, that his heart was changed and that he was ready to do what God had put on his heart when he was just a boy. Leslie was not interested in what she referred to as his sudden ‘fanatical calling.’ Alan was certain that encountering an angel was a divine intervention in his life and he would no
t ignore it.

  “Do you know where Brownie lives, Michael?” Alan asked, curious as to what the child knew.

  Michael looked from Jeb to Alan. “Yes, but I’m not supposed to tell, I promised.”

  Jeb smiled. “That’s perfectly okay, Michael. Always keep your promises.”

  Alan touched the child’s arm. “Doctor Jeb just gave you some good advice, Michael.” He glanced at Jeb, wishing he had listened to his former roommate, realizing that while the other man had a slightly lower grade point average in college, it didn’t mean that Jeb Hastings was any less intelligent than he, himself, or a less skillful physician. “Someone, my very best friend at the time, once told me that same thing when I was in college. It seems like a million years ago in a clouded past.” He looked back at Michael. “I hope you’re a better listener than I was.”

  “Mrs. Donahue is here,” Abigail announced from the doorway with Lauren beside her, clutching the nurse’s hand. Abigail wrapped her soft ample arms lovingly around the younger woman and hugged her. “What a wonderful gift, Lauren!”

  Jeb and Alan exchanged a curious look as they wondered how she could have arrived at the hospital so quickly.

  “I had this feeling that I needed to be here,” Lauren said before they could ask and as Abigail released her. “I know this will sound odd, but I heard a voice tell me I needed to hurry over here.”

  “Did you get Doctor Anderson’s call?” Jeb asked. Lauren shook her head and he read the flash of fear in her eyes. “Well, I guess we have a wonderful surprise for you.”

  The doctors parted to provide Lauren a clear view into the room where her son was straining to sit up to look at her. Lauren took a step, and then froze where she stood. Her purse dropped to the floor with a loud thud as she found herself looking into Michael’s eyes—Michael’s open eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and she gasped, clutching at her heart. “Michael!”