TIME-TO-SEE-83
Odd shaped shadows fell on the ceiling and walls of the hospital room, silent and dimly lit, while Artie slept. Sean and Murph had come in from their trip to LAX to pick up Spirit, long after Artie had fallen asleep, and now they sat quietly, neither one speaking to the other... just waiting...
Sean held Spirit, letting him play with a rawhide chew toy and occasionally one of his own tempting shirt buttons. Murph was much closer to Artie's bed, watching Artie as he slept, counting for reasons he didn't understand, as Artie would breath in, and then breath out...
Putting his hand on Artie's and never taking his eyes off him, Murph watched carefully, as though he feared Artie might pass away without his having been right with him...by his side.
It was well after eleven, actually quite close to midnight, and both Sean and Murph were beginning to show signs of exhaustion. They had spent all day traveling across the globe and all evening returning to LAX to pick up Spirit and finding a motel with their dads to use for the night.
Max and Brandy returned to the Burn Center with Sean and Murph, leaving the boys together in Artie's room while they went to the cafeteria for a cup of tea.
Murph continued to watch Artie breathing.
Eventually, Artie began to stir. He shifted his body in bed and rolled his head about.
Sean picked Spirit up and took him to the top of the bed setting him down with his head next to Artie's face. Spirit began to lick Artie and make little puppy noises.
"Pftss," Artie sputtered as he lifted his hand to his cheek where Spirit was tickling him, and he made a funny face.
Then Artie opened his eyes to discover Spirit playing on his bed, right next to his pillow.
"Hi, Boy! You like my hospital bed?" Artie said softly.
"Hello..." Sean said. "We been waiting for you. You feel any better?"
"Uh?..... Yes, a little," Artie answered. "Would you move Spirit down so I can hold him?"
"Sure," Sean said, and he picked Spirit up and put him down on Sean's belly... "Does that hurt, Artie?" Sean Asked.
"Oh, no. That's good," Artie said; then he began talking to Spirit.
"Spirit, I'm so happy to see you! Did you mind sitting in that cage while we flew to Los Angeles?"
Spirit looked up at Artie as if he understood everything Artie asked. He took two wobbly steps up Artie's stomach, made a little woofing noise; then lay down right on Artie's chest, continuing to look directly into his eyes.
"I think you understand me," Artie said.
And Spirit perked up his head still looking at Artie, listening to him speak.
"Oh, Boy, I don't have any treats for you tonight... We'll have to wait until tomorrow when we can find some," Artie told Spirit.
And Spirit gave a little whining sound, once again appearing uncanily to be communicating with Artie.
"Don't worry, Boy. I'll be sure to get some treats for you. We can eat the treats together, 'cause I could use something good to eat myself," Artie said.
Murph said, "Are you hungry, Artie? I can call the nurse and get her to bring you something to eat."
"Hum? Yeah. I AM kinda hungry now that I'm feeling better." Then Artie wrapped his arms around Spirit dropped his head a little and gave Spirit a kiss on his fuzzy head.
Spirit barked a real bark-sounding noise. "Oh, Spirit. You're learning to bark... Good boy!" Artie said as he rubbed his hand through Spirit's soft fur.
Murph had hurried to the door when Artie said that he was hungry. He opened it and spoke to someone who was just outside of the room; then he returned to Artie's bedside.
"The nurse said she'd come in right away with something to drink. I think she'll go back for food after you tell her what you can eat..."
"Thanks, Murph." Artie said.
Then he looked from Murph to Sean and then back to Murph. "Thanks for staying with me while I slept and being here until I woke up. I don't feel alone now, 'cause I'm NOT alone," Artie said.
"Sure, we won't leave you, Artie." Murph answered. "But we did have to go to the airport to get Spirit, and also we had to find a place to sleep tonight."
Sean spoke. "Yeah. Our dads are getting some tea in the hospital lunch room right now. They'll be in to see you too."
Artie continued to play with Spirit and nuzzle his head and comb through the fur with his fingers. "Good boy...," he said softly.
Then Artie looked back at Sean and Murph and said, "I don't know whether the hospital will let us, but would you mind if I asked them whether the two of you could stay here in my room with me tonight?"
Sean spoke up first, "No, I wouldn't mind at all. That would be cool." Then he looked around the room and realized that there was only one other bed. "I guess we could both sleep in the same bed... Is that okay with you, Murph?"
Murph said, "I don't care about the bed. If they'll let us, I wanna stay."
The nurse walked in carrying a glass of cool tea. "Well, look who's awake... You feeling okay, young man?" she said.
"Yes, Mama. I feel much better. And now I'm feeling a little hungry. Could I have something to eat?" Artie asked.
"That's a good sign. You're hungry, but we don't want to overdo your digestive system; so how's about we start with a cup of vegetable soup with maybe a half of a chicken sandwich... You don't have to eat it all, but, on the other hand, you might feel even more hungry after you begin eating..." the nurse suggested.
"Yes, Mama. That sounds good to me." Artie replied.
"Fine. It won't take but a jiffy to bring the food because the kitchen has it prepared already. They're keeping it warm for just such occasions."
"Thank you," Artie said...
Then with some hesitation Artie spoke to the nurse as she was preparing to leave the room. "Uh, nurse, do you think it would be alright if my friends, Sean and Murph, spent the night with me here? I'd really appreciate it, 'cause I don't like feeling lonely, and these friends have been staying with me in lots of hotels for a few weeks while we visited in Ireland and Germany."
He waited holding his breath lest the nurse deny him his request. Quite the contrary, she smiled broadly and said, "That will be no problem at all. I can even have another bed brought into your room; so that both of you boys can have your own bed."
Sean spoke up, "Oh, that would be super, Mum. Thank you very, very much."
"Yeah. That's great. Thank you..." Murph added.
"Humm. That was really good. I feel much better now," Artie said, pushing his tray aside.
Max and Brandy walked into Artie's room at that moment. "Well, look who's awake. You look as though you're feeling better," Brandy said.
"Yes, Sir," Artie said with a smile. "I'm not ready to get up, but I am feeling better."
"Very good, Artie," Max said walking over to the bed and patting Artie on his shoulder. "We've been waiting for you to wake up, and I think you do look much better now too."
Brandy began to share: "Artie, your Mum and Dad will be flying to Los Angeles tomorrow morning. They won't be here until late in the afternoon, but for sure they'll be with you tomorrow."
"Oh, that's really good. I miss them. When I was here in the hospital before, they were here with me most of the time. My dad had to go home to work once, but my mum was here the whole time," Artie recalled.
"Dad," Murph began, "The nurse said that we can sleep here in Artie's room tonight. So if it's okay with you and Brandy, both Sean and me will stay here."
"That's wonderful," Max replied. "Don't you think maybe I ought to take Spirit with Brandy and me to the motel; so he can get his bottle and some food in the morning?"
"I wish Spirit could stay here with me," Artie said, "But I understand that he has to eat... Maybe he can stay tomorrow night."
"That might be best. I could bring both a bottle for him and some dog food when we bring him back in the morning," Max replied.
"Yeah..." Artie said. And with that he passed Spirit over to Sean who in turn passed him to Max. "I'm beginning to feel tired again, I think I better try to go to sleep some more. That sleep made me feel real good."
"Terrific, Son." Brandy said. "You get as much rest as your body tells you it needs. Remember, your body is working FOR you; it's not your enemy. It knows what's best, and I think we ought to get out of here and let you boys turn in too... It's quite late; you've ALL just got to be exhausted."
"Yes Sir, good night." and Artie rolled over in his bed and literally drifted off to sleep in a remarkably short period of time.
"Alright boys," Max said to Sean and Murph almost whispering. "Telephone us right away if something serious develops. Here's the motel telephone number, or you can call our cell numbers. Otherwise, we'll see you in the morning, say around ten."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Dad." Sean said to Max, and he went to him and gave him a hug. Then he turned to Brandy, hugged him and said, "Brandy, you are so nice to Artie. Thank you for acting like his dad too."
"Oh, Sean. It's no effort at all, because I love Artie."
Then looking directly at Sean, "And you know that I love you too; you are my son, and I'll love you forever."
Then Brandy turned to Murph and put one arm around Sean and one around Murph and said, "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you two. I love you both."
Then he kissed them both on their heads and squeezed them closer to himself.
Artie was already asleep; the boys felt secure; and Max and Brandy took Spirit and turned for the door. "Don't forget to tell Artie that we love him too... tell him as soon as he wakes... He should never be allowed to think that we aren't with him," Max said.
"Good-night, Dad. Good-night Dad..."
"Good-night, Sean. Good-night, Murph."
Artie's room remained utterly silent and quite dark. All three boys slept, while a single, tiny red light glowed just to the right and above Artie's bed.
"Arthur, I see that you have returned to my grotto to visit old King Boru. I am most pleased to see you."
"Yes, Sir. I wanted to talk to you because I've been pretty sick, and I worry about whether I'm going to live... And I thought maybe you could tell me what it's like being dead... Uh? And maybe tell me if there's anything I can do to make me get better."
"My, boy. You are much too young to be thinking about not living. Stopping your life is something that one doesn't EVER have to do, but I realize that you don't understand that; so for now, let it suffice to hear that it is NOT TIME FOR YOU TO DIE.
"Now, as for there being anything you can do to get better, may I suggest that you are doing exactly what you need to do: listen to God and to your body and do what you hear them telling you to do. Everyone around you is ready to help you, and they very much want you to heal. God's love is all around you. All you need to do is discover that you are NOT bound to the damaged image of your body. You can allow that image to change, and your body will reappear the way you remember it before the accident."
"Uh... Are you sure, Sir?" Arthur asked Boru.
"I have no doubt, Arthur. But you will have to discover this for yourself. You have to choose: you may believe what others expect for you-- a lifetime of sickness-- OR you may rely on what I'm telling you," King Boru said.
Artie became aware that grandpa-- Kevin's grandpa-- now sat rocking slowly in his chair while his grandfather's clock, barely audible, ticked next to him. King Boru smiled and stepped into nothingness.
"Grandpa, I didn't know you were here," Artie said.
"Oh, yes, indeed, Son. Where ever my children and their friends are, I am there also, and YOU are a very important young friend just now, because everyone is afraid you will give up on the job of healing your body, since that might seem so daunting-- uh... that means, 'difficult.'"
"Yes, Sir. I really don't know what I should do. Today when I came to this hospital, all I wanted to do was sleep."
"Indeed, Son. And what was the result of your sleeping?" Grandpa asked.
"Uh?" Artie thought for a moment. "I felt much better when I woke up, and I was so happy to see Murph and Sean too."
"Well, my boy. Then you did what your body needed: slept. And, you allowed yourself to feel happy when you saw your friends. It was their love for you that dismissed your lonliness. You didn't worry about your body improving, you just ALLOWED it to improve by not thinking about it as sick. You see, you need to remember what Boru told you: you are NOT forced to keep a sick body; you may allow it to heal."
"Sir, that is so strange to hear. Every day I have wanted my body to heal, everyday since I first came to this hospital after my accident."
"But you were not able to accept that your body WOULD do all that it needed to do to represent you perfectly. The doctors and others treated you as though you were forever bound to this sickness.
Now, you've heard from Boru that you are NOT forced to remain sick. You can see beyond what the others tell you."
"Ooohhhhh! I'm kinda scared to believe King Boru..." Artie said.
"Yes. I understand. You are reacting as most people would who do not yet understand the Universe and how it operates... God did not create you to suffer, nor to die of this sickness. An illness has happened, but you can remember how God's Universe ACTUALLY works-- Boru explained it, and your body will return to its sole purpose, which is: to represent you PERFECTLY... Your soul is not burned nor does it have difficulty breathing; thus your body does not have to remain in that state. You may treat it with love and you will find it healing... You must come to EXPECT the truth to manifest..." Grandpa said. ("Manifest means 'happen', Son." Grandpa added...)
Grandpa smiled and rocked in his chair while his clock chimed five times. "Artie, accept the care and love that Dr. Glass and everyone here at the hospital gives to you. They are acting on God's instructions, and they want what will help you to live."
"Artie, are you alright?" a familiar voice asked.
Artie looked around and LOOKED AT HIMSELF LYING IN THE HOSPITAL BED! with Murph sitting beside his bed rubbing his hand.
"Artie?" Murph said, speaking to him.
Then Sean joined Murph and spoke: "I think he's talking in his sleep, Murph. He looks alright to me..."
"I thought he was talking to me," Murph said.
"Yeah. Maybe he was, but he's still asleep too," Sean said.
Artie spoke AGAIN, but now neither Murph nor Sean could hear him. "Murph, Sean, I'm okay. I've been talking to King Boru and Kevin's grandpa, and they are helping me to understand how to let my body heal... That's all. There's nothing wrong with me that can't go away... Thank you for staying with me,'cause I love you both..."
And Artie stepped up close to both Murph and Sean and next to his own bed... This was all very strange to Artie.
Artie put his arms around both Murph and Sean.
"Sean," Murph said. "I feel like Artie is telling me that he loves me. I know that's weird, but that's how I feel."
"Yeah, Murph. I feel the same thing. I think he loves us both, and he's telling us somehow right now..."
And Artie turned his attention to his very own image lying in the hospital bed. HE LAY DOWN AND MERGED WITH HIS BODY IN THE BED.
And his body seemed to shimmer in the darkness as he did. Both Murph and Sean saw it and were blown away...
"Sean, look at Artie!@# He's sparkling!!" Murph said.
"Yeeeaaah! What's happening?" Sean asked.
The scintilation lasted for only a few moments then faded, and Artie looked peaceful in the dim red light that shown just above his bed.
Artie twisted in his bed, turned over, and continued to sleep soundly.
And Murph and Sean went back to the other beds.
"Murph?"
"Yes?"
"Would you mind if I came over and slept in your bed?"
"Nope. I wish you would."
And in an instant Sean crawled up next to Murph into the spoon position, putting his arms around his brother and saying, "Thanks, Murph. I love you."
"I love you too, Sean. Gd-Night"...
"Wow!" Murph said softly before he fell asleep.
When Sean woke up, he was surprised to see Artie out of bed already, standing at the window peeking through the closed venetian blinds into the bright morning light.
"Artie, are you alright?" Sean said.
"Oh, sure, Sean. I feel pretty good. My skin feels itchy and sort-a like paper, but I don't feel hot or tired like I did last night."
"I bet Dr. Glass will be glad to hear that," Sean added as he slipped out of his bed too.
"Did you eat?" Sean asked.
"Nope, nobody has come into the room, and I haven't called anyone. We can all get breakfast together, I bet," Artie said.
Sean looked in Murph's direction where he still slept. "Murph was pretty tired last night. I think he was really worried about you too," Sean said.
"I'm sorry that I made him worry. I like Murph too, and I don't want to make him upset... Maybe he'll feel better after he wakes up like I did," Artie said to Sean.
"He'll be okay, Artie. Murph just takes his friends pretty seriously. He doesn't want anything to hurt you," Sean continued.
"It makes me feel really good to have you and Murph with me. Do you.. Do you think you'll have to go to your motel today?" Artie asked.
"My dads are going to get a flat where Murph and I can live; so we can visit with you every day. And your mum and dad will probably want to stay there with us. We won't do things to bother your parents. I hope they'll stay with us," Sean said.
"Oh, yes. That would be perfect. Then you could come to the hospital whenever you felt like you wanted to... Uh? I'd sure like to see you every day if you don't get too tired visiting..." Artie said.
"Oh, sure, Artie. We'll have plenty of time to rest and look around the city, as well as come to your hospital and see you... Do you have any idea how long Dr. Glass will want to keep you here?" Sean asked.
"No. I think they will want to be really sure that I can do okay on my own when they release me again; so I bet he'll want me to stay maybe a month..." Artie said.
"Ohhhhh! A month. I bet my dads will want to stay here too then, because they want to be sure you are alright before they go back to work," Sean said.
"But, your dads work in Ireland, Sean. What are they going to do, just have a vacation here in Los Angeles before they have to go back to work?" Artie asked.
"I really don't know, Artie. They haven't talked to me and Murph about what any of us is going to do. I think they just wanted to make sure that you were getting the medical care you needed before they figure out what we need to do... I'm not worried. I'm glad that I got to come to the United States, and I'm glad that when you needed to come back to the hospital here that I was able to be with you. You know, Nicky and Jilder went home to San Diego last night. That's a long drive from the hospital, but I bet We'll all get to go to their house and maybe stay with Hugo and Kevin and Nicky and Jilder when you can leave the hospital. That will be sooooo fun, Artie. You will like San Diego. They have this wonderful zoo that you can go to and spend days looking at the wild animals... Would you like to do that?" Sean asked.
"OOooooou! Yes! That would be super, Sean. Do you think Hugo and Kevin would take all of us to that zoo?" Artie asked.
"I bet they wouldn't mind, Artie. We'll just have to wait until Dr. Glass says that you can go. Maybe he'd let you go for a day or two; then you could come back here for a check-up or somethin. That would be a safe way to plan a zoo visit, I think," Sean opined.
"Yeah! I'll talk to him about it right away. And you can talk to your dads and see what they think..." Artie said.
"Cool," Sean said.
Murph pushed both arms up in the air and made a loud groan as he stretched in his bed announcing that he was finally awake.
"Look, Murph's awake," Sean said.
Murph looked over in the direction of the conversation he heard. He pulled the pillow over his head and called from under the pillow, "You guys are talkin too loud. How's a guy to sleep with all that noise?" Murph said.
Sean went over to Murph and began to tickle him on the feet.
Murph kicked both feet in a frenzy and yelled out laughing, "No! No! Please don't tickle me! This is a hospital... You're not supposed to hurt a guy while he's in the hospital..." Murph said.
"We aren't hurting you, Murph! Who's hurtin you?" Sean said still tickling Murph's feet. "We're just waitin for you to wake up so's we can get breakfast... You hungry, Turkey?"
"Murph sat up straight in bed forgetting that someone was tickling his feet. I am NOT no TURKEY, and you TOO were tickling me. I wasn't dreamin it..." Murph said in his own defense.
"Really?" Sean said.
"REALLY!" Murph added with emphasis.
Artie spoke up, "Murph, Sean was botherin' you, but he doesn't ACTUALLY think you are a turkey. He thinks you are his favorite brother..." Artie said with a smile.
"Yeah. Maybe???..." Murph answered, "But he SAID I'm a turkey..." trying to needle Sean...
"Yeah, I did, Murph. And THAT just means I'M the TURKEY here!" Sean said smiling at Murph too...
Murph said, "If I didn't like my brother so much, I think I would be mad at you, Sean! But!...." and Murph jumped out of bed and launched a surprise tickle attack against Sean, who was standing in his underwear next to Artie. "Oh.... No.... MURPH! Don't tickle me... You'll give me a heart attack maybe..." Sean screamed....
"Yeah. Well, you're in the right place to get a heart attack, YOU TURKEY!@" Murph returned the insult with an energetic smile....
Then Murph stopped tickling Sean without warning, turned to Artie and said, "And YOU think that just because you're sick that you're safe from tickle attacks, but you're WRONG!" And Murph started to tickling Artie on his sides and under his arm...
"Oh, No, No,... Don't tickle me!" Artie yelled laughing and falling back into his hospital bed...
"I'll put you back in bed for sure!" Murph said... Then he began tickling Artie's feet... Artie laughed and kicked, "Oh, No.... Oh, Murph, No... STOP!!!!"
At that point the door to Artie's hospital room swung open and the nurse strode in shouting, "WHAT IN HEAVEN'S NAME IS GOING ON IN THIS PLACE????"
"He's killin me, Miss. Murph is tickling my feet," Artie said laughing uncontrollably and kicking both legs to fend off Murph's attack.
"Well, I'm glad to see you feeling so energetic this morning, Artie, but we gotta cool it, because you can't imagine how bummed out Dr. Glass will get when he sees you working up a real sweat, right after he sent you to the Temperature Control Center to get you cooled down. You'll get ME AND YOU in trouble!" the nurse said in a good natured but clearly unequivocal instruction bent on stopping the nonsense before it became a problem....
"Yes, Miss... I'll stop if HE'LL stop," Artie said pointing to Murph, who was clearly NOT the TRUE culprit in the morning's mischief.
"I got caught and it was REALLY SEAN who STARTED the tickling! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Murph wailed.
"You're absolutely right, Murph. Life is NOT FAIR!" Sean said with a big smile and a smug delight... "You REALLY gotta stop tickling everybody, Murph!...."
"Ohhhhhhhph! YOU!!!!" Murph spat out at the silly grinning Sean.
The boys were all sitting around Artie's hospital room eating breakfast from food trays that the nurse was kind enough to bring in. Artie sat cross-legged in bed, and Murph put his tray on the foot of Artie's bed and sat in a straight chair beside it. Sean sat eating in a wheelchair that was parked along an outside wall.
"I wonder where we could take this wheelchair for a spin?" Sean observed absent mindedly...
"Humm? Maybe there's a cliff nearby that we could launch you off@!" Murph conjectured, clearly still annoyed with Sean's coup in the morning's melee.
"Now, Mate, that ain't very friendly," Sean replied still savoring his tickle title trophy.
Artie changed the subject. "I wish Dr. Glass would get here so I can ask him about the zoo."
"You feelin good enough to start talking about leaving the hospital for a jaunt to the zoo?" Sean commented in between bites of pancakes, soggy and dripping with maple syrup.
"Hummm? Well, maybe not today or tomorrow, but I think I ought to be able to go there in a week??? Maybe?!" Artie answered.
"How do you do it, Artie?" Murph asked. "Just yesterday you were so sick you had us all worried that you might not BE here in a week. Now you're talkin about goin to the zoo?????"
"Yeah! I might be a little optimistic, but the way I see it, that sure beats moping around... When did your dad's say they would bring Spirit back?"
Sean said, "I think they said around ten this morning. I don't think dad-- uh Max-- has had much practice feeding Spirit. I hope Brandy will help him."
"Yeah! Brandy is really nice." Artie observed.
"Yeah. He sure is," Sean agreed. "Yeah, he told us to tell you this morning that you shouldn't forget how they both love you and want you get well."
"Ohhh. Humm..." Artie replied, truly affected by the messages of love, but reflexively given to nonchalance when faced with the real thing in front of peers. Artie was looking down at his breakfast tray.
Sean looked over at Artie from the wheelchair, waiting for a moment until he caught Artie's eye, "Well, he DOES, Artie... Love You, that is..."
"I know, and it makes me feel a little bit self-conscious, like I don't deserve it."
Sean pushed on brashly, "Well, WE ALL DO, Artie!... Love You, I mean..."
Artie smiled shyly, lay back on his pillow, and replied softly... "Thanks, Sean... I love you guys too..."
The door to Artie's room swung open but nothing appeared-- well, it seemed like nothing appeared-- but moving along the floor, at a gallop, one could see a tiny ball of white fur running into Artie's room directly toward Sean....
Sean leaned over and scooped Spirit up, shaking him: "Hey, Spirit... Good morning, Boy! Oh, look who's wearing his new white collar with his name on it... You look so cool!" and then Sean put him back on the floor.
Spirit slipped and scratched on the shiny tile trying to run around the room.
"Come here, boy..." Artie said. "Come over here..." and he patted the side of his bed.
Spirit slid to a stop, spun around, and headed to Artie in bed. Artie had to get out of bed to pick him up off of the floor. Then he climbed back in bed and let Spirit lie down between his legs.
The nurse brought Max and Brandy into Artie's room just then and surveyed the boy's activities because Dr. Glass was due on the floor any minute now. "How are you feeling, Artie?" She said as she went over to his bed, reached for his wrist, and looked at her watch as she took his pulse.
After a moment: "Humm. All normal here," she said.
"Hello, Artie. You are looking happy this morning," Brandy said.
"Hi, Brandy," Artie replied.
Max walked directly to the bed and patted Artie on the shoulder when the nurse laid his arm back down. "You sure do. I agree with Brandy." Max commented. "Have you been outside this morning? Your cheeks are so rosey, like maybe you've been walking or running..."
"No, Sir. I just got some fresh air when we opened the window, but I didn't go outside yet," Artie said.
The nurse reminded Artie again, "Now Artie, let's save the soccer for when you go outside. No contact sports in the hospital room. Dr. Glass is making his rounds and ought to get to you pretty soon."
"Yes, mama. I won't push Sean or Murph or tickle them-- not until after Dr. Glass visits..."
"Thank you, Artie," the nurse said giving him somewhat exasperated appreciation.
Artie smiled and looked over at Murph and Sean. "We won't do anything to get into trouble, will we."
"Nope." Sean replied
"Not me." Murph agreed.
"Wonderful..." and just as the nurse spoke in walked Dr. Glass.
He surveyed the room and noticed the rather large gathering of visitors, complete with Spirit the puppy. He walked over to Artie in the bed and said, "My, you're looking bright and energetic this morning. Have you been feeling hot or even a little warm since last night?"
"No, Sir. I didn't feel hot at all after I went to the Temperature room. I was feeling really tired, and I slept a lot after that, but I didn't feel hot any more," Artie answered.
"Artie, can you turn around to face me over here in the direction of the window, where the light is better? And let your feet hang off the bed..." Dr. Glass said.
Dr. Glass pulled Artie's eyelids up and looked into his eyes and around the edges of them. He looked at the scar tissue that covered much of Artie's cheeks, chin, and neck. Dr. Glass lingered in his examination when he looked closely at Artie's skin. It's texture did not resemble the glossy, white, opaque surface of typical scar tissue. It manifest the reddish surface of a light sunburn, with normal skin texture and the appearance of pores, especially on the cheeks down to and including the chin.
"Nurse, would you join me over here with Artie?" Dr. Glass asked.
The nurse stood just behind Dr. Glass as he turned Artie's head: "What do you see, Kerry?"
The nurse leaned over to look closely: "The surface resembles a very extensive sunburn... It's normal looking otherwise. I don't see typical scar tissue that is present on the neck. Isn't that a change from last night, Dr. Glass?"
"That's exactly how I'd describe Artie's condition. Absolutely, it's a major shift in his skin condition. It's remarkable, Kerry! I have no explanation... Perhaps the use of the temperature control refrigerant revived cell division in the subcutaneous tissue that then generated some activity among undamaged residual skin cells. Really, Kerry, I have no idea what's happened here."
Then Dr. Glass spoke to Artie, "Artie, how does your face feel?"
"Uh? I don't know... not bad. My cheeks itch a little, and so does my chin, but it doesn't hurt," Artie replied.
"How did you sleep last night?"
"Oh, alright, I guess. I dreamed, but I didn't wake up hurting like I used to when I was here the last time..," Artie said.
"Well, that's terrific, Artie. I can see you are off to a good start this time. Will your parents be coming from Ireland?" Dr Glass asked.
"Yeah! They're comin today-- well, really tonight," Artie said looking around the room at his friends and smiling.
"Oh, that's very nice, Artie. I look forward to seeing them again," Dr. Glass said.
"Uh, Dr. Glass, me and Sean and Murph have been wondering if we can go to the San Diego Zoo?" Artie asked.
"My, my, Artie. That's a great idea, but there's more than just me that will have to get you to that zoo. It is a wonderful place, you'll enjoy it a lot. I'm going to put it this way: you'll have to continue this good healing and stabilize for a couple of weeks before we can know whether you're ready to be released from the hospital," Dr. Glass said.
"Well, then, do you think I could leave the hospital for a weekend and then come back?" Artie proposed.
"You are a clever negotiator, Artie. I'll have to consult the hospital treatment committee with your proposal. And we'll see what they say... Deal?" Dr. Glass said.
"Uh?... Well... alright," Artie said...
Max spoke up, "Artie. What's this Zoo business? I've haven't heard about this yet..."
Artie said, "Sean said that in San Diego there's this really great zoo. And he thinks maybe Kevin, Hugo, Nicky, and Jilder will take us when I can go."
"Well, Brandy and I will have to speak with Kevin and Hugo to find out what's involved in a trip to that zoo. Then as soon as you're able to go, Artie, we'll pay that zoo a visit together," Max said.
Dr. Glass spoke to Artie: "This all sounds wonderful, Artie. But remember that you came to us for rest and recovery. Let's make sure that happens first before we work on anything else."
"Oh, sure, Dr. Glass. I'm going to eat good and exercise if you'll let me, and get plenty of sleep, and,.... and,...."
"...And pray..." Dr. Glass supplied.
Sean said, "We already do, Dr. Glass. I had to show Murph how to do it, but he knows how now. And I can teach Archie too, if he doesn't know already."
Brandy asked, "Um? That sounds like a super idea, Sean. I think that maybe I should listen in. It's been a very long time since I went to church."
Sean spoke up: "Oh, Brandy. You don't have to go to church to pray. You can do it in your room at night before you go to sleep.... or any time you want..."
"Yeah! Like last night when I was dreaming I talked to King Boru, and he don't believe that I can't get well. He says I have to understand how God runs His Universe..." Artie said.
"Oh, yeah..." Artie continued, "And I also talked to Kevin's Grandpa, and he said King Boru knows what he's talking about. So, I sorta prayed to God and told Him that I wanna know how He runs His Universe; so I can get better...."
Dr. Glass looked at Artie and thought to himself, "So THAT'S how that skin changed overnight...."