Healing
Part 1
July 25th, 1984
Spokane, WA
9:45 am
Dan was still sleeping. He had fallen back to sleep only minutes after being wheeled into the room, nearly two hours ago. Jim watched his friend somewhat anxiously, although he knew he was being foolish. Despite the I.V. still attached to his arm, Dan was okay. Sleeping was completely natural, and important in the healing process. Logically, Jim knew that, but emotionally, he wanted Dan to wake up and talk to him. Jim would be leaving the hospital in a few hours, along with the rest of the campers; Dan would be staying for at least three more days, maybe longer.
There was a brief knock, the door opened, and Matthew Wheeler stepped inside. Jim raised a finger to his lips, halting his father’s greeting. Matthew nodded, lowering his voice as he approached Jim’s chair. “Are you about ready to get out of this place?” he asked softly.
“Yes.” Jim gave his father a halfhearted smile. “I just wish we were all leaving.” His eyes wandered back to Dan.
“I know.” Matthew patted his son’s shoulder. “But Dan will be released as soon as the doctors allow. A private nursing service has been hired, just to make sure he gets everything he needs. The first one will start this afternoon.” Taking a deep breath, he said, “I spoke with the authorities this morning. The police want to talk with you, and with Dan.” Jim started to speak, but Matthew stopped him. “No one is in trouble, I promise. Murdock confessed, but they want to get your side of the story; yours, Dan’s, the kids’, and even Ted’s.” He rubbed his forehead. “This whole thing may play like a bad movie, but you and Dan are definitely the heroes.”
“That’s good to hear.” Dan’s voice was weak, and the words came out slowly as he struggled to sit up.
Matthew hurried to find the button that raised the bed, rearranging the pillows behind Dan’s head. “There.“ he said. “How’s that?”
“Great. Thank you, Mr. Wheeler.” Dan leaned back on the pillows. “How are Ted and the boys?”
“Ted’s still in the ICU. The doctors are worried about infection, but they’re hopeful.” Matthew squeezed Dan’s arm. “You did a good job out there, Dan. I’m very proud of you.”
Dan looked at Jim, and Jim could almost hear his friend’s unspoken question. Does Mr. Wheeler really know what had happened, or is he only aware of the sanitized version? He nodded, and Dan looked away, focusing his dark eyes on his fingernails.
“As for your boys, it seems they were a little upset with the lack of information they received about your condition.” Matthew continued. “I heard that one of them was preparing to lead them all on a mission to find you. Your father decided to help the nurses out and quell the rebellion. He figured you could use the rest.”
“That would be Mark.” Dan grinned. “I think we might have created a leadership monster.”
“We?” Jim asked. “You’re the one who insisted on putting him in charge.”
“It worked, didn’t it?” Dan countered. He sobered, a slightly confused look on his face. “Wait. Did you say my father?” he asked quietly. “Mr. Maypenny is really here? I thought I was dreaming.”
“He’s very much here.” Matthew stepped back and sat down on the edge of Jim’s bed. “He flew in with me yesterday, and he’s barely left your side ever since.” He grinned at Dan. “Those must have been some strong drugs; you were very chatty. You really don’t remember?”
Dan shook his head. “Sort of. I mean, I remember...pieces. I just didn’t think it was real.”
“It was completely real.” Thomas Maypenny shut the door firmly as he entered. “But don’t worry. You didn’t say anything too incriminating.” He smiled as he approached Dan. “Your color is better this morning. How do you feel, son?”
Dan could not have stopped the smile that spread across his face, even if he had wanted to. His chest felt warm and...bubbly. It was a weird, but not unpleasant feeling. “You really are here,” he said. “I thought I was dreaming.”
“Where else would I be?” Maypenny countered, reaching to squeeze Dan’s hand. “How are you feeling?”
Dan shook his head, his heart in his eyes and a lump in his throat. “I feel...okay,” he managed to say. “My leg hurts, but it isn’t too bad.” He thought for a minute, taking inventory. “I think I’m kind of hungry, and I’m really thirsty.”
“You slept right through breakfast,” Jim informed him, “but the nurse said she’d bring you some juice if you woke up.”
“Juice?” Dan asked, his eyes still on Maypenny. His father, who rarely as much as set foot in tiny Sleepyside, had traveled clear across the country to find him.
“Yeah. Evidently they don’t give you food until they’re sure you can handle it. Do you want me to get you some?”
“Please.” Dan took the glass of water that Maypenny handed to him.
Jim rose, and gestured to Matthew to follow him. “Dad and I’ll go get it,” he said, unnecessarily. “Did you get the boys settled?” he asked Maypenny.
The older man chuckled. “They are quite a bunch, your Cabin 3 boys. But, yes. They agreed to stay put, with the understanding that they get to visit Daniel before they leave.”
“You’re a good negotiator, Mr. Maypenny,” Jim said with a grin. “We’ll be back with some juice, okay?”
The door closed behind them, and Dan struggled to find something to say. “They’re good kids. They really hung in there, and I know they were scared. I was.”
“Only a fool wouldn’t have been afraid, and you are no fool.” Maypenny patted Dan’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you, son.”
Dan’s stomach clenched. “You might not be, after you find out what I did.” Dan finished his water and played with the straw. “I pretty much screwed up my probation.”
“Because you broke into that house and gas station? Or because you stole the truck?” Maypenny’s shrewd eyes stared directly into Dan’s.
“Both.” Dan lowered his head. “I didn’t do it for kicks, though. I was seriously afraid we were all going to die.”
“You easily could have.” Maypenny was blunt. “You used the skills you have, to save yourself and your companions. So, yes, I know, and I’m still proud of you.”
Dan bit down on his lip to keep it from trembling. “I’m really glad you came. Really glad.”
Maypenny nodded. “Daniel, did you think I wouldn’t?” He didn’t wait for Dan to answer. “We are only a few weeks from making it final, but you have been my son, in my heart and mind, even before the day you agreed. What kind of father would not come for his son?” He leaned in closer. “Regan wanted to flip a coin; I used my special quarter, so I couldn’t lose.”
Startled, Dan blinked back his tears and laughed instead. “The one with two tails?” he asked. “You cheated? You?”
“Guilty!” Maypenny chuckled himself. “I wasn’t taking any chances.” He sobered. “See, sometimes you have to do the wrong thing, in order to do what is right.”
The tightness in Dan’s chest suddenly disappeared. He inhaled sharply, and let go of his guilt and fear. He managed to say, for the first time with a relatively clear head, “Thanks for being here, Dad.” He opened his arms, and hugged his father.
Jim convinced the nurse that Dan wanted food, and after a brief debate, was able to score some gelatin. Matthew and Thomas left the hospital while Dan was eating his late breakfast. Jim and the rest of the campers weren’t being released until late afternoon, so the tired fathers went to their hotel to catch a nap.
Jim watched Dan eat.
First, he lifted the lid off the tray and arranged it on the little table. The I.V. tubing snagged on the corner of the tray, and Dan patiently untangled it, before sipping from the cup of apple juice. Slowly, he managed to get a spoonful of lemon gelatin into his mouth. He repeated the sip-and-eat routine four times before turning to Jim and asking, “Why are you staring at me?”
“Sorry?” Jim was startled by the question.
“You’re staring at me,” Dan stated calmly. “Why?”
“I...” Caught, Jim shrugged and blurted, “I’m sorry. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am. About everything.”
Dan set down his spoon, confused. “Like what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe for pressuring you to break into two different places, or forcing you to steal that truck? Or maybe for getting you shot, with my idiotic plan? Am I leaving out anything?”
Dan set down his spoon and pushed his tray aside. “That’s dumb,” he said, his voice strained. “And kind of insulting. Seriously, Jim, do you think I’m so weak that you could pressure me to do something I really wasn’t willing to do? Sure, I hoped there was a different way, but there wasn’t.” He looked at Jim, who couldn’t meet his gaze. “I’m not afraid of you, and I’m not afraid to call you an idiot, if that’s what I think. You didn’t shoot me; Billy-boy did. He was planning on that all along, only I think he was planning on using his guns for a more permanent solution.” Dan sighed. “I’ve been forced to do things before--including stealing cars. This was different. Believe me.”
“I just feel like it’s my fault.”
“Yeah? Well it isn’t, and it wasn’t. Things happen.” Dan leaned back against the pillow, wincing as he closed his eyes. “You, of all people, should know that.”
Before Jim could respond, the doctor walked in, followed by a nurse, and two other white-coat clad people. They pulled the privacy curtain around Dan’s bed, effectively shutting Jim out. Frustrated at the interruption, Jim hovered for a few minutes, before heading out of the room. He needed some air, and a place to not think.
