Kevin hung up the phone, staring at it morosely. He had just spent the last ten minutes talking to a weeping Molly. And now, he had to give everyone else the bad news about Daniel.
Feeling suddenly tired, the cop rose and headed for Callie’s. He had barely finished knocking when the door was thrown open by the journalist. The moment she saw his expression, the nervousness on her face changed to fear.
“Oh no. It didn’t work, did it.”
Kevin shook his head. “He’s being taken to surgery now.”
Callie covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes closing against the tears. “This is like a nightmare. I keep hoping that I’ll wake up.”
“I know. Callie, if he . . . if he dies--”
“No,” the journalist interrupted. “Don’t say that. He’s not going to die. I can’t accept that. He’s going to make it.” She walked into the living room. Kevin followed her inside. “I can’t stay here. I have to go to the hospital,” she told him.
The cop nodded. “As soon as I pass on the news, I’m heading over there. You can come with me, if you’d like.”
“All right.” Callie grabbed her coat and purse. “I’ll help you get the word out.”
As the journalist headed for the general store, Kevin went to the Widow’s Walk. Quite a few people had gathered there to await news of the results of the MRI.
“May I have your attention, please?” the cop said. The place instantly grew silent. “I’m afraid that I have some serious news. The drugs that the doctors were giving Daniel didn’t work. He’s being taken into surgery.”
Sounds of dismay arose. Everyone knew what this news meant.
Nub slowly sat down in a chair, suddenly afraid that he’d been wrong, that Daniel was going to die. He looked over at Brian and saw that the mayor had also taken a seat, a numb expression on his face.
Kevin started talking again. “I need everyone to spread the news. Call your friends and family and tell them what’s happening. I will be heading over to the hospital in a little while. I’ll take all your best wishes for Daniel with me.”
Kevin’s departure was followed by the departure of everyone else as they all left for home. Nub, Brian, and Boris stood alone in the empty room.
“Um, Boris, you can go on home,” Brian said. “I don’t think we’ll be getting any more customers tonight.”
“No. Boris wishes to stay. Will make big celebration cake for when Daniel comes out of surgery.” There was a strange note in the Russian’s voice.
“Boris, there’s a chance that Daniel won’t make it out of surgery,” the mayor said gently.
The Russian shook his head emphatically. “No. Daniel will not die. He will be well.” For the first time since coming to Hope, Boris blurted out something in Russian. He then turned and strode back into the kitchen.
Sighing, Brian looked at Nub. He went over to where the young man was sitting and took a seat. He rubbed his face with his hands, then stared off at some distant point.
“Do you have any regrets in your life, Nub?”
“No, not really, though I wish that I could have done something to stop my parents from breaking up.”
“Well, I do, a lot of them.” Brian met Nub’s gaze. “You know what I regret the most right now?”
Nub shook his head.
“That I did those things to Daniel when he first came here. I faked that petition, misled him, then tried to force him into doing things he didn’t want to do. And when he refused to go along with my plans to use the church to bring in tourists, I fired him, even though I didn’t have the right to.” Brian gave a short, bitter laugh. “And you know what makes me feel even worse? Even after what I did, he still welcomed me into his congregation and offered his friendship to me. I just couldn’t believe it when he did that.”
Nub nodded. “You remember that Sunday after the first church service when Daniel invited you to come back the following Sunday?”
“Yes. I was floored. You could have pushed me over with a feather.”
“Later on, after everyone else left, I asked Daniel why he did that, why he wasn’t mad at you.”
“You did? What did he say?”
“He said that life was too short to hold anger in your heart and that friendship was too precious a thing to lose a chance at one over a disagreement. He also said that he’d seen the worse of you and was looking forward to seeing the best.”
The mayor’s gaze drifted away. “He’s a far better man than I could ever be, even if I lived to be five hundred.” He stood up. “You go to the hospital, Nub. One of us should be there. I’ll stay here and take care of things.”
“I can stay, Brian,” Nub said, even though he very much wanted to go.
The mayor shook his head. “You go. I think I’d rather . . . go someplace where I can be alone to . . . to think.” He watched Nub leave, then got the key to one of the empty rooms and went to it. Sitting in a chair by the window, Brian stared out into the darkness beyond the glass, preparing for the long wait to learn if Hope Island’s minister would be coming home again.
Callie climbed the steps to the door of the Islander General Store. She was surprised to see the lights still lit even though it was past closing time. Tentatively trying the door handle, she found it to be unlocked. She opened the door a crack.
“Ruby? Bonita?” she called.
“We’re here,” came Bonita’s voice.
Callie stepped inside and saw mother and daughter both sitting on the steps leading up to their private living quarters.
“We’ve been waiting for news of Daniel,” Ruby explained. “Do you. . . .” Her voice trailed off as she got a good look at the journalist’s face. “It’s bad news, isn’t it. They’re going to have to operate.”
Callie nodded. “He’s going into surgery now.”
Ruby turned to her daughter, clutching her hand. “We may lose him, Bonita,” she said, her voice trembling.
Bonita shook her head. “We can’t give up on him, Mom. We have to believe he’s going to make it.”
Choosing not to comment on the fact that mother and daughter were talking to each other aloud, Callie told them that she was going to the hospital with Kevin.
“We’d like to come too,” Ruby immediately said. “I can’t stay here and just wait for news.”
“Sure. That’ll be fine.”
“I’m coming too,” said a voice from the door. Marcus came in the rest of the way and went to his aunt, giving her a brief hug. “If it wasn’t for Daniel, I would have left here and never gotten to know my family. I owe him more than I can ever repay.”
“Um, I think there are only four seats in the boat. You’d have to sit on the floor,” Callie told him.
“That’s all right. I don’t mind.”
Ruby and Bonita fetched their coats and purses, then the four of them headed down to the dock. Kevin was waiting for them. He looked in surprise at the others.
“You’re all coming? It’s going to be a bit crowded.”
“We don’t care,” Ruby said. “We all want to be there for Daniel.”
Once everyone was settled, Kevin began untying the boat from the dock, but then heard the sound of running feet. Nub slid to a halt beside him.
“I want to come with you,” the slightly out of breath young man said.
“Uh . . . we’re kind of full up, Nub.”
“Nonsense,” Ruby said. “We can make room for him. Come on, Nub. We’re happy to have you come with us.”
With a smile, Nub got in. Marcus slid over to make room for him on the floor. Shrugging, Kevin untied the boat and shoved off. He started the engine and headed the small craft across the darkness of the ocean.
Father Mac’s eyes lifted to the statue of the Madonna. Ever since he’d read the article about Daniel, he had not stepped out of the church, except for a quick dinner. Throughout the last few hours, many people had come to talk, to express their worries and fears. He’d lost count of how many people had spent part of the time talking about ways in which Daniel had helped them.
The priest turned at the sound of the church door opening.
“Hello, Harry,” he greeted the fisherman.
“Um, hello, Father Mac. I just thought . . . I mean, I figured you’d like to know the news about Daniel.”
“The results of the MRI came back?”
“Yeah. It’s bad news. They’re going to have to operate. I guess they’re taking him to surgery right now.”
“I . . . see. Thank you for telling me, Harry.”
The fisherman nodded, giving him a rather shy smile, then left. Father Mac went up to the altar. He had moved the flowers and plants that had been in front of it over to either side. Looking at all the gifts of love to the young minister, the priest knelt and again began to pray.
Back in the minister’s room, Alex, Dylan, Molly, and Daniel’s parents stood in silence, none of them having the desire to talk. The silence went on for a couple of minutes before it was broken by Bonnie.
“I’m going to the chapel.”
“Yes, you’re right, Bonnie. That’s where we should be,” Cliff said. He looked at the others. “You are all welcome to join us.”
Molly nodded.
“I’m . . . I’m going to stay here,” Alex said. She knew that Daniel’s parents were unaware of her views on prayer and religion, and this was not the time to bring it up. Looking down at her son, she said, “Why don’t you go with Molly and the Coopers, Dylan. I’m just going to stay here in Daniel’s room.”
“Would you like me to stay with you, Alex?” Molly asked.
“No, Mol. You go to the chapel. I’ll be all right.”
Alone in the room, Alex stood at the window, her arms wrapped about herself. She felt as if a piece of her soul was being taken away from her.
“Daniel,” she whispered. Going over to the bed, Alex lay down upon it. She pulled the pillow down, hugging it tightly. A single tear slipped down her cheek, followed by another, then another. Burying her face in the pillow, Alex wept, heartbroken sobs welling up from deep inside her.
Boris gathered the ingredients for the cake. With single-minded determination, he mixed them together. He was around halfway through the process when he suddenly stopped. Slowly, he sank into a chair.
The people of Hope Island had become like a family to him. Though he was an immigrant from a faraway land, they had welcomed him into their community. Daniel had been among the first to hold out his hand in friendship. He had been the one to lend a sympathetic ear and a kind word when Boris found out that his betrothed had married another man. And now, Daniel, his very good friend, was lying on an operating table and could die.
Boris had lost many friends, many loved ones. When still a boy, he had watched the KGB take away his father and had lived in fear of them ever since. Even on Hope Island, that fear had remained--until the day he returned from being in hiding from a nonexistent KGB agent and realized that he no longer had a reason to fear. Since that day, the island had seemed like a haven, a sanctuary to the Russian, even more so than before. But, now, the terrible truth was hitting Boris that there was no sanctuary, not from the greatest enemy, death. Death could still take his friends away from him.
Boris rose and put away the ingredients for the cake, sticking the bowl of half-finished batter in the refrigerator. He would not dishonor Daniel by making a celebration cake that might never be eaten. He would wait until they received word that the minister was going to be all right.
Removing his apron, Boris left the Widow’s Walk and headed for home, where, alone, he would pray to God for his friend’s life.
Dylan’s hand in hers, Molly sat on the pew, praying as she had only once before in her life: on the night that Kevin went out into the raging storm to help an islander. That night, Kevin had been returned to her safely, but, this time, she feared that there would be no happy ending. Molly’s heart was aching not only with the pain caused by the thought of Daniel dying, but also the thought of what his death would do to her best friend and the boy she now sat beside.
Molly heard someone enter the chapel. She turned to see Kevin, Ruby, Bonita, Callie, Marcus, and Nub. She immediately stood and went to her husband, going into the arms he held out to her. He held onto her for a long time, then pressed his lips against her forehead.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
“Not so good. I’m so glad you’re here.” She looked at the other new arrivals. “Thank you so much for coming.”
“Where’s Alex?” Callie asked.
“She’s in Daniel’s room. She . . . wanted to be alone.”
The journalist nodded, understanding what Molly wasn’t saying.
Molly introduced Daniel’s parents to everyone.
“You’re all members of Daniel’s church, aren’t you?” Bonnie asked.
“Yes. We wanted to be here for him,” Ruby said.
“Thank you,” Cliff said with heartfelt sincerity. “I know that this will mean a lot to Daniel.”
They all took seats and began to pray.
It was around an hour later when the sound of several people approaching caused everyone to turn around--to be greeted by the sight of over twenty islanders entering the tiny chapel.
“How did you all get here?” Molly asked.
“I brought them,” Bob White told her. The fisherman was standing beside the wheelchair of his young son, Evan, two of the many islanders who had been helped by Daniel when they needed it most. “There are more people on the way in some of the other boats,” he added.
Overwhelmed, Cliff and Bonnie looked at the crowd, many of whom were not members of Daniel’s congregation. That’s when it truly became clear to them how much Daniel meant to the people of Hope, not just to his congregation, but to everyone. Though the minister to only a handful, he had touched the lives and hearts of them all.
As the hours passed, more and more islanders came. No longer ashamed to show his tears openly, Cliff Cooper looked at the growing crowd, his pride and love for his son filling him. Soon, the chapel was completely filled, and people began lining the walls in the hallway and sitting in the waiting room. The hospital staff, not knowing what to make of it, tried to get the people in the hall to go someplace else because they were blocking free passage. Reluctantly, they went to one of the other waiting rooms.
And so the people of Hope Island prayed and waited for word of their minister as the hours continued to pass.
Joseph Mann slipped downstairs and made his way outside for his nightly walk. Unlike how it would be at this time of night in his hometown of Boston, not soul was in sight. There was no traffic. No dogs barked. The town was completely silent. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he looked up at the hill that the town sat at the foot of. In the light from the moon, he could make out the outline of the church he had noticed earlier. Lights were on in it. Wondering why, he then noticed that the Catholic church in town was also brightly lit. What would be going on in both churches at eleven o’clock on a Friday night? Curious, he walked up the stairs of the Catholic church. The doors were open a crack. He peaked inside and was surprised to see that the church was packed full of people. There were so many people that there weren’t enough seats for them all. Every single person was in the acting of praying.
“Excuse me. Can I get by?” asked a voice behind the Bostonian. He turned to the speaker.
“Oh. Sorry.” He moved away from the door. “Uh . . . what’s going on?”
“Reverend Cooper is undergoing brain surgery. We’re all praying for him.”
Joseph’s eyebrows lifted sharply. “All of you?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that what’s going on in the other church?”
The man glanced up at the hill. “I should imagine so. That’s Daniel’s church.”
“Thanks.” Joseph watched the man go inside, then turned his attention back to the other church. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he made his way up the hill. As he reached the top and came into sight of the buildings, he stopped dead in his tracks. The doors of the tiny church were open, revealing that the place was filled wall to wall with people. But even more astonishing was the fact that there were at least fifty more people outside. Every one of them was either standing or sitting on the ground, their heads bowed in prayer.
His mouth hanging open, Joseph stared at the crowd. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, hundreds of people out of a community of only two thousand gathered together to pray for one man. And these were only the people who had chosen to gather at the churches.
Returning to the Widow’s Walk, the Bostonian picked up the phone and dialed.
“Frank?”
“Joe? Do you have any idea what time it is here?” the man on the other end said groggily.
“I know exactly what time it is there, but I just had to call. You need to come out here.”
Frank sighed. “Why?”
“Why? Because I think I’m on another planet, that’s why. You would not believe this place.” Joseph told the man on the other end what he had just witnessed.
“I don’t believe it,” Frank said incredulously.
“Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s amazing. I really think we should move forward with our plans. I’ll be scoping the place out tomorrow with the mayor. I want you here to confirm that I’m not hallucinating.”
“Yeah, all right. You want me there today?”
“Yes, the sooner the better.” He gave Frank some flight information.
“So, will you be picking me up at the airport or do I have to find my way to you on my own?”
“You’re on your own, I’m afraid. I don’t want to leave and come back. The mayor will wonder what’s going on, and I don’t want him suspecting anything. You remember what happened in Iowa.”
“Don’t I ever. All right, I’ll see you when I get there. Where are you staying?”
“The only place in town, a place called the Widow’s Walk, room number six.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Frank said, then disconnected the call.
Nodding in satisfaction, Joseph hung up the phone, and got ready for bed.
Alex paced restlessly up and down the hallway. The hospital was eerily silent, as if it, too, was waiting for news of Daniel. No one else was around. She was completely alone. Closing her eyes, Alex leaned against the wall. A moment passed, then she heard the echoing sound of footsteps approaching. She looked up to see Lily Watson walking down the hall toward her, her steps slow and measured. There was a look of sorrow on the doctor’s face. She came to a stop before Alex and took her hands.
“I’m sorry, Alex. They did all they could, but he didn’t make it. Daniel’s gone.”
Alex felt her heart die inside her. “No, please, no. No, no, noooo. . . !”
Alex awoke with a start, her voice crying out into the emptiness of Daniel’s room. Her heart beating painfully in her chest, she covered her face with her hands, feeling the wetness there. It had been another nightmare.
Feeling more alone than she ever had in her life, Alex sat up, clutching the pillow to her chest.
It was then that, for the first time since her mother’s death four years ago, Alex Stone began to pray.
“Dear God, please, please don’t let Daniel die. I can’t lose him. I love him so much,” she begged.
On and on Alex prayed, pouring her heart and soul into it. As she prayed, she slowly rocked back and forth, clinging to the pillow as if it were Daniel himself, as if holding onto that pillow was saving her own life.
A long time later, she let her head fall forward, resting her forehead on the pillow. She took a deep, shuddering breath. Sliding off the bed, Alex went into the bathroom. She then went down the hallway to the chapel. As she came to the door, she stopped in surprise. The room was packed with familiar faces. All those faces turned toward her. Not saying a word, the islanders cleared a path to the front row. Alex saw Molly stand and come toward her. Her best friend embraced her, then led her to the front pew. Someone stood to make room for her.
With Dylan on one side and Molly on the other, their hands linked with hers, Alex bowed her head and joined the rest of the islanders in prayer, feeling their love for Daniel lift her heart from the deep, dark place it had been in.
Alex did not know how long she had been in the chapel. She only knew that she felt exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Her body ached from sitting on the hard pew for so long. But she refused to move. She was not going to leave this room until she knew Daniel’s fate.
The redhead looked down at Dylan. He had fallen asleep some time ago, his head pillowed on her shoulder. She hoped that she would be waking him up to good news.
Just then, Alex heard the sound of someone coming. So did the other islanders. They all turned toward the door. A moment later, Doctors Watson and Harding appeared in the doorway. Alex hurriedly woke Dylan as everyone stood. A look of mild surprise on Lily’s face and shock on Doctor Harding’s, the two made their way to the front of the room. All eyes were on them as they turned toward the crowd. Hope Island’s doctor cleared her throat.
“I have good news, everyone. Daniel is alive, and the surgery was a success.”
A cheer arose from every person in the room. Alex began to laugh, tears of joy sliding down her face. She hugged Dylan, then Molly, seeing Daniel’s parents embrace each other, both of them crying happily.
Once everyone had calmed down, Lily resumed speaking. “They almost lost him at one point, but he came back and made it through the rest of the operation without any problems. The hematoma is gone and the bleeding has been stopped. We’re all confident that there won’t be any complications from the surgery.”
As the crowd in the room began hugging each other and talking amongst themselves, Cliff stepped up to the doctors, shaking both of their hands. “Thank you so much.”
“Thank your son’s will to live,” Doctor Harding said. “We thought that he was gone for a while there, but he fought with everything he had and came back to us.”
“What happens now?” Bonnie asked.
“Well, Daniel’s in Recovery right now,” Doctor Watson replied. “He’ll be there for a while, then he’ll be taken back to his room.”
“Oh! We’d better tell all the others the good news,” Molly said.
“Others?” the neurologist inquired.
“Yeah. There were too many people to fit in the chapel, so the rest of them are gathered in a couple of the waiting rooms,” Kevin informed him.
Doctor Harding shook his head. “Amazing. In all my years as a doctor, I’ve never seen anything like this, and I doubt I ever will again. All I can say is that Daniel is a very lucky man to have so many people care about him.”
Hand in hand, Kevin and Molly went to tell the other islanders the news. Gradually, the crowd broke up and left the chapel.
“I’m going to call Brian and tell him the good news,” Nub said, a grin on his face.
Alex, Dylan, and Daniel’s parents went back to the minister’s room to await his return. They were all surprised to see light coming in through the window. It was morning.
A few minutes later, Molly and Kevin came to the room, along with Callie, Marcus, Ruby, Bonita, and Nub.
“We’re going to head on back to the island,” Molly said. “We just wanted to see Daniel before we go.” Smiling, she then asked, “Shall I go check us out of that motel room we never stayed in, Alex, or do you think you might be using it now?”
“Um, I think I might want to keep the room, maybe for another day. I don’t want to go back home yet.”
Molly gave her the key, which she already had in her hand. “That’s what I figured.”
When Daniel was brought in sometime later and placed in the bed, they all gathered around him. Daniel’s head was completely covered in bandages from ears to crown. His face was pale, dark circles under his eyes. Even so, Alex thought he was the most beautiful sight on Earth. She was delighted to see that he was no longer hooked up to the respirator. He was breathing completely on his own.
One by one, the visitors approached the minister, speaking to him for a moment. He received a kiss on the cheek from each of the women.
“You’ll call us when he wakes up, won’t you?” Ruby asked.
“Yes, we’ll call,” Alex assured her.
A few minutes after the six left, Lily and Doctor Harding came in.
“You should all go get some rest,” Doctor Watson said. “It’s been a very long night for everyone.”
“How long will it be before we can expect Daniel to wake up?” Bonnie asked.
The doctor hesitated. “It’s hard to say. It could be a while yet.” She glanced at the neurologist. “We didn’t want to bring this up before, but there are some things that you need to be prepared for. Though there is no indication of extensive brain damage, there is a chance that Daniel will have some difficulties. He may need to go through some therapy programs to get back to the way he was. You must be prepared for the possibility that there will be some long-term effects from his injury.”
Alex felt her happiness dim and her worry return. “What do you mean? Are you talking about impairments? What kind of impairments?”
“Well, the area of his brain that was most affected was the left temporal lobe,” Doctor Harding explained. “That part of the brain is responsible for processing information, receptive language, hearing, and memory. It is very likely that Daniel will experience some memory problems. He may have large gaps in his existing memory, and there is the possibility that he will have some difficulty remembering things in the future. It may also take him longer to process information, and there may be some problems understanding you when you talk to him. Unfortunately, there’s a chance that he also suffered damage to other parts of the brain. We’re concerned that, because of the bleeding, there may have been a reduction in the blood flow to the rest of his brain. I’m afraid that we won’t know anything for certain until Daniel wakes up.”
“Is there . . . is there a chance that he won’t wake up?” Alex asked.
“I’d be lying if I said no,” the neurologist said, “but I have every reason to believe that Daniel will wake up. We just have to be patient.” He looked around at the serious faces. “With therapy, there’s a good chance that Daniel will regain much, perhaps even all of any lost or impaired abilities. I’ve seen some severely brain injured patients make miraculous advancements with the right therapy.” He glanced at his watch. “I’d say that it’ll be several hours before Daniel shows any signs of awakening. Like Lily said, you should all go and get some rest.”
“I think we should take their advice and get a little sleep,” Cliff said after the doctors had left. “When Daniel does wake up, we’ll all want to be at least a little rested.”
Driving the car that they’d rented at the airport, Daniel’s parents took Alex and Dylan to the motel Alex had stayed in before. Frowning, the minister looked at the place.
“This is where you're staying?”
“Yes.” Alex knew what the reason for the frown was. Though the motel was clean and in good repair, it wasn’t even close to the quality that the Coopers were probably accustomed to.
Cliffs turned and looked over the seat at Alex. “I’d like you to come stay with us. We can get a suite.”
“That really isn’t necessary,” the redhead said. “Dylan and I will be fine here, and I really don’t want to impose upon you.”
“It won’t be an imposition, Alex. Bonnie and I would like for you to stay with us. Besides, there will be advantages to us staying together. Also, since you chose not to put the charges for Daniel’s room at your inn on my credit card like I told you to, there is still a debt to be paid.” Alex opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her by raising his hand. “I know. You told me that there was no debt.” He shook his head, smiling faintly. “I wonder if my son has any idea how stubborn a woman he’s getting involved with.” The smile faded. “Please consider this to be a gift then.”
Alex hesitated a moment, then agreed. She had to admit that she’d always wanted to stay at a four-star hotel. She fetched the clothes out of her motel room and checked out.
Dylan was asleep again by the time they got to the other hotel. Waking him up, she walked with him and Daniel’s parents through the plush lobby, suddenly feeling grimy and out of place. She knew that her hair and face were a mess and that her clothes were wrinkled from sleeping in them. She was grateful when they finally got up to the room.
Her eyes opening wide, Alex looked around at the suite. She didn’t even want to think about how much it was costing per day, probably more than what she charged at the Widow’s Walk for an entire week.
Bonnie showed her and Dylan to their room. “You’ll find pajamas in the top drawer of the dresser, though I doubt there are any that will fit Dylan.”
Alex’s eyebrows rose. “They give you pajamas to wear?”
Daniel’s mother smiled. “One of the perks you pay for. And you might as well take them home with you. They’re a complimentary gift.”
“Gee, and I thought it was nice when a motel had the little bottles of shampoo.”
Bonnie laughed. “You’ll find some of those too, as well as other toiletry items.”
“Thank you so much for everything,” Alex said.
“Thank you, Alex, for giving our son someone to love again.” She briefly cupped the redhead’s cheek with her hand, then left, closing the door behind her.
Alex helped her son, who was half-asleep, get undressed and into bed. She then slipped into the hotel pajamas and crawled under the covers of the other bed. Two minutes later, she was asleep.
Joseph Mann was awakened from a deep sleep by the sound of cheering. “What the. . . .” He stumbled out of bed and looked out the window. His eyes widened as he saw dozens of people in the street laughing and hugging each other. Hurriedly throwing on some clothes, he went downstairs. The restaurant was full of more happy people.
“What’s going on?” he asked one man.
“We just got word that Daniel--he’s the minister--made it through surgery and that the doctors think he’s going to be fine. Isn’t that great?”
“Uh, yeah, that’s great news. Congratulations.” Joseph went back up to his room. So, the minister was going to be all right. That was good. Happy people would be more apt to say yes.
Smiling, the Bostonian headed for the shower.