When Daniel, Alex, and Bonnie returned from the minister’s morning therapy the next day, they found Brian and Nub waiting in the room.
“Hey, Daniel. How are you doing?” Nub greeted happily, smiling at seeing his minister up and around.
“I’m doing good, Nub. It’s great to see you guys.”
A male nurse helped Daniel back into bed.
“Daniel, I’m going to go get some coffee,” Bonnie said after the nurse left. “I’ll be back in a half hour or so.”
“A cup of coffee sounds good to me too. Mind if I join you?” Alex asked.
“By all means.”
The two women headed off to the cafeteria. As soon as they were gone, Brian pulled up a chair and sat down.
“I apologize for not coming yesterday,” he said. “Mister Mann called, and we had an important discussion about the Hope Gardens project. Then, afterwards, I needed to show some houses to potential buyers.” The mayor leaned forward and looked at Daniel earnestly. “As I’m sure you know, I’m all for Hope Gardens. I think it could be a boon for Hope Island. You’re an influential man in the community, Reverend, and I’d like to see you give your support to the project.”
“Brian, I really don’t think Daniel wants to discuss this,” Nub remarked. “He’s probably got a lot of other things on his mind.”
“Nonsense!” Brian said. “Daniel is a member of the community just like the rest of us, and he will be affected by the decision as much as anyone else, more so that many.” He turned back to the minister. “Now, I know that you’re aware of what happened after the meeting, and I want to assure you that we will do everything we can to see that your name is not used for publicity. But I really think that it would be a mistake to say no to Hope Gardens. It has the potential to--”
“Brian, you can stop preaching,” Daniel interrupted, laughing. “I’m not against Hope Gardens being built.”
“You’re not?” both Brian and Nub said, a smile spreading across the mayor’s face.
“No, I’m not. I know that Hope needs something to help the economy. I don’t know how much help this retirement community will be, but I think it may do some good.”
Brian practically beamed. “Wonderful! You’ll have to talk with the other islanders, perhaps call them and let them know that you’re for the project.”
“Whoa there, Brian,” Daniel said, holding up a hand. “I said that I was for Hope Gardens, but that’s just my personal opinion. I’m not going to go campaigning for it. I said what I had to say at the town meeting. The islanders have to make up their own minds on this. I will not try to influence them.”
“But--”
“But nothing,” Daniel said firmly. “If someone asks me if I’m for or against it, I’ll tell them, but that’s as far as it goes.” His eyes narrowed. “And I want your promise that you will not use my name in your ‘sales pitch’. If people ask you what I think, you can tell them that I’m for the project, but nothing more. You got that?”
Brian stared at Daniel for a moment. Seeing that the minister was not going to budge, he sighed deeply and agreed.
“Good. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, what other news do you have from the island?”
The three men chatted amicably, continuing for another twenty minutes after Alex and Bonnie returned. By then, it was getting close to lunch, and Brian decided it was time to get back to the island.
“Brian, I’d like to talk to Daniel for a while, if that’s okay,” Nub said quietly.
“Oh. Well, okay, but don’t take too long,” the mayor responded. He said goodbye to Daniel, wishing him a speedy recovery, then left the room with Alex and Bonnie.
Nub sat silently on the edge of the bed, toying with the blanket.
“What is it, Nub?” Daniel asked gently.
“Oh, um . . . you remember when you came to my room when I was sick and talked to me about dying?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I never told you how much I appreciated that. It was good to talk to you about what I felt and believed.”
“I was just doing what I should as your minister and your friend.”
“I know, but I still appreciated it, and . . . and I wish that I’d been able to return the favor.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you were in the coma and there was a chance that you might die, I was wishing that I could do something for you. In the beginning, I had a feeling that you were going to be okay, but when we found out that they were going to have to operate, I kind of got scared, and I was wishing even more that there was something I could do.”
“You did do something, Nub,” Daniel told him softly. “You prayed for me. That’s the best thing that you could have done. It means so much to me that you and the other islanders prayed for me like that. I’ve never felt more like I was a real part of Hope Island than when I found out that so many prayed for me that night. And I want to thank you and everyone else for that.”
Nub smiled. “You’re welcome, Daniel. I’m really glad that our prayers were answered.”
“So am I, Nub.”
The young man stood. “Well, I’d better get going before Brian gets impatient. I’ll try to make sure he keeps his promise.”
Daniel smiled. “Thanks, Nub.”
Right after Nub left, Alex and Bonnie came back in.
“So, did Brian talk your ear off, trying to get you to support Hope Gardens?” the redhead asked.
Daniel chuckled. “He tried to. You know Brian.”
“Yes, I do. So, what did you tell him?”
“I told him I thought the project might be a good idea, but that he was, under no circumstances, to use my name to influence people to vote for it.”
“I bet he objected to that.”
“Of course. What else would you expect? Our mayor’s nothing if not predictable,” Daniel said with a grin.
Alex and Bonnie went off to lunch a short time later, leaving Daniel to his own lunch of hospital food. Staring at the food on the tray before him, the minister thought about how much he was looking forward to eating Boris’s cooking again. With a sigh, he began to eat.
Shortly after the nurse came and took the empty tray away, there was a phone call.
“Hello?” Daniel answered.
“Reverend Cooper?” asked an unfamiliar voice.
“Yes, I’m Reverend Cooper. Who’s this?”
“This is Joseph Mann. My partner and I are the ones who wish to build a retirement community on Hope Island.”
“Yes, Mister Mann. What can I do for you?”
“Well, actually, I was looking for Ms. Stone. I called the island yesterday to talk to her and was told that she’s there with you at the hospital.”
Daniel’s lips curved into a slight smile, not surprised that, when talking about his important conversation with Mann, Brian left out the detail that the man had actually called to talk to Alex. “Alex isn’t here right now. Can I take a message?” he told the Bostonian.
“Actually, perhaps it’s better that I talk to you. I have to say that I was impressed with what you said at the town meeting. You appear to be an intelligent and reasonable man with a great deal of common sense. You also obviously have a very high standing in the Hope Island community. I, um, wish to apologize for myself and my partner over our mistaken intention of using your name in our publicity campaign. I hope you understand that we had no intention of harming you or your father. I assure you that we will keep our word and not tell anyone of your presence on the island.”
“I appreciate that, Mister Mann. So, what was the reason for your call?”
“Well, I’m afraid that we have some news for Ms. Stone that I know she will not be happy about. It concerns her request to create a committee that will have a say in who is allowed to purchase homes in Hope Gardens. We’ve discussed this with our lawyers, and they’ve informed us that if we tried to do something like that, we’d be liable for lawsuit on the grounds of discrimination.”
“I see. You’re right. Alex isn’t going to be happy about this.”
“Yes, I figured that. I wanted to say, though, that she can still set up a committee to interview potential buyers. Though they will not have the power to turn down buyers, they will be allowed to try to discourage buyers whom they think will cause problems. Also, our lawyers said that we could refuse anyone who has a record of a serious criminal offense. This being a secured, private community, we have the right to keep it safe by turning down potential buyers who might be a threat to others in the community.”
“That’s good to hear, Mister Mann. I’ll let Alex know what you’ve told me. Now, I’ve got something that I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, it has to do with the clinic on the island. It was brought up at the meeting that there will likely be a problem with providing medical care for all the people who’d be moving into your retirement community.”
“Yes, I know that Doctor Watson is concerned about that, but I’m not sure how much of a problem it would be.”
“I think that it could be a big problem, Mister Mann. Doctor Watson already has a great many patients to take care of, and residents of a retirement community are likely going to need more attention because of their advanced age. Now, there is a solution to this, if you are willing to go for it.”
“What’s that?”
“If you would be willing to cover the cost of an expansion to the clinic--the addition of a second exam room, along with all the necessary medical equipment--I’m pretty sure that Doctor Watson would be happy to hire a Physician’s Assistant or perhaps even find another doctor to partner with her. It could be that Doctor Watson would be willing to make small monthly payments to you, without interest, to pay you back for the costs you incur on the expansion, but that is something you’d have to discuss with her.”
There was silence for a moment. “Your suggestion is an interesting one. I do have to admit that inadequate medical facilities could be a deterrent to potential buyers, so it would be in our best interest to see that the clinic can serve the needs of our residents. I will discuss this with my partner and talk to Doctor Watson. Thank you for your suggestion.” There was another short silence. “I’m not going to bother asking if you are voting for or against Hope Gardens since I have a feeling you wouldn’t tell me, so I will just say that I hope that you and your fellow islanders will vote in favor of it. We are looking forward to working with the people of Hope Island and building something that I think will be of benefit to all of us.”
“Well, I guess we’ll all find out on Tuesday, Mister Mann.”
“Yes, I suppose we will. Good day, Reverend Cooper. I hope you get well soon.”
After hanging up, Daniel gazed up at the ceiling for several minutes. He knew that Alex was going to be upset that the idea of the committee wasn’t going to work. She seemed positive that there was going to be a problem with some of these wealthy retirees looking down their noses at the locals. Daniel didn’t know if that really was going to be a problem, but he supposed that it was a possibility. Perhaps they could think of a good way to discourage buyers who looked like they were the kind of people Alex didn’t want on the island. The minister smiled. Between him and Alex, they might just be able to do that.
The door opened to admit the object of his thoughts and his mother.
“Did you have a nice lunch?” Daniel asked.
“Uh huh,” Alex replied. She grinned. “Your mom sure does have a wealth of stories about your childhood.”
“Yeah, I bet she does.” Daniel gave his mother a teasing glare. He returned his attention to Alex. “I’ve got some news concerning Hope Gardens. I think you’d better sit down. I don’t want you to start pacing the floor.”
“Uh oh. This sounds serious.” Alex took a seat.
“Do you want me to leave?” Bonnie asked.
“You don’t have to, Mom. It isn’t anything private,” Daniel told her.
Bonnie looked over at Alex, who was now anxiously awaiting Daniel’s news. “I think I’ll let you two talk about it alone. I need to go get some more yarn for that sweater I’m knitting anyway.”
“Okay, Mom. We’ll see you in a little while then.”
“So, what’s the news?” Alex asked after Bonnie had left.
“I got a call from Joseph Mann.”
Alex’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You did? What did he want to talk to you about? I hope it wasn’t about using you in their publicity campaign.”
“No, it wasn’t. In fact, he apologized for that whole thing and promised that they’d keep their mouths shut about me. He was actually calling to talk to you, but decided to talk to me instead. It’s about the committee you wanted to set up.”
Daniel went on to tell Alex about what Mann had said. When he was finished, the redhead sat back in her chair and stared down at the bedcovers.
“I was really hoping that we’d have the power to refuse buyers,” she said. “It would have given us some control over this whole thing.” She gave a sigh. “I don’t know what to do now.”
“Alex, I know you’re worried about snobs coming in and causing problems, but I think that, if we put our heads together, we can think of a way to make anyone who’s like that decide that they wouldn’t want to live on the island. I understand why you’d be worried about that, but I honestly have to say that I think it would be a mistake to turn down Hope Gardens just because of the chance that you might get a few snobbish people moving in.”
Alex sighed again. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, and at least Mann and Tate are going to give us the freedom to try talking people we don’t like out of buying a home. That’s more than they might have given us. So, what about the clinic? Did you talk to him about that?”
“Yes, I did, and he didn’t reject the idea. He said that he’d discuss it with his partner and Doctor Watson. If everyone agrees, that will solve the biggest problem with this project.”
Alex studied Daniel’s expression. “You really do think that this Hope Gardens is a good idea, don’t you.”
The minister shrugged. “I’ve done a lot of praying about it, and I guess I just have a feeling that we need to take this chance. I’ve only been on the island for a year, so that gives me the ability to look at things from both the viewpoint of a resident and an outsider. I can see things a bit more objectively.”
Alex nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I think that some of us are too close to the issue. We’re thinking more with our hearts than our heads. There is one thing that I got to thinking about, though.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, what if, when the article about you comes out, it ends up doing exactly what Mann and Tate were hoping for when they planned on revealing your presence on the island? What if people come flocking to the island and some of them decide to buy homes in Hope Gardens partly because they like the idea of being preached to by Cliff Cooper’s son? Do you want people like that in your congregation?”
“Everyone’s welcome in my congregation, Alex, though I would hope that they’d be there because of their faith rather than who was preaching to them. If that does happen, and I have my doubts that it will, I’ll deal with it then.”
An hour later, Daniel went to his physical therapy. His workout was a little more strenuous than the day before, and they did some more work with him on improving his ability to coordinate the movement of his hands when moving them quickly. It was frustrating every time his hands failed to do what he was trying to make them do, but Daniel kept at it, always keeping in mind Arnie’s words to him and the determination that he would get better.
The minister was tired by the time they got back, and didn’t object to taking a short nap. Not long after he awoke, the door opened, and a smiling Kevin, Boris, and Bonita came in.
“My good friend, Daniel!” Boris boomed, coming forward and engulfing the minister in a hug.
“Careful, Boris,” Alex said, laughing. “Daniel’s still recovering.”
The Russian looked at Daniel in dismay. “Boris is so sorry!”
“Don't worry, Boris,” the minister said with a grin. “No damage done.”
Bonita came forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “It’s wonderful to see you looking so well, Daniel. Mom and I were so worried about you. We talked for hours about all the wonderful things you’ve done for the islanders since you arrived and how much we’d miss you if you weren’t there.”
Daniel blushed faintly, then realized what Bonita had said. “Talked?”
Bonita nodded. “Mom and I agreed that it was okay to talk about you and what we were feeling when you were so ill.” She smiled at the look on the minister’s face. “Don’t worry. We’re back to writing everything now.”
“That’s a relief. I wouldn’t want to be the cause of a . . . situation again.”
Everyone laughed at that.
“So, how are you doing, Daniel?” Kevin asked.
“I’m doing good. I’m looking forward to getting out of here, though. If wasn’t for the company, I’d be bored out of my mind. It was bad enough when I was stuck at home with the measles.”
“How long are they going to keep you here?” Bonita asked. “We miss you at home.”
Daniel smiled. “Thanks, Bonita. I miss everyone too. I don’t know for sure yet how long I’m going to be here. I’m hoping they’ll let me out near the beginning of next month.”
“Boris is planning big feast for when you come home to all your friends on Hope. Big celebration,” Boris announced.
Daniel laughed. “Well, I’ll sure be ready for that, Boris. The food here wouldn’t win any blue ribbons.”
The Russian shook his head. “Boris should talk to cook, give him good Russian recipes. Sick people should have good food. Keep them strong.”
Daniel laughed again. “I’m sure the patients would appreciate that, but I don’t think the hospital would go for it.”
Kevin, Boris, and Bonita stayed for an hour. Much to Daniel’s relief, none of them asked what he thought about Hope Gardens. He still wanted everyone to make up their own minds about the project.
As he lay in bed that night, waiting for sleep, Daniel got to thinking about what he was going to do when he did get out of the hospital. He’d most likely be in a wheelchair and would have difficulty getting around on his feet. It was going to be hard doing certain things. There was no doubt that he’d need help. And what about his physical therapy? It would be tough taking a trip to the mainland every day for it. There was a good chance that his father would hire someone to care for him full-time and give him his therapy, but there wouldn’t be enough room in his little house to set up the equipment they’d need. Then there was the issue of church services. Daniel knew that, before he came to the island, the Protestants there had attended church on the mainland, but he hated the thought of not being able to give his sermons for several weeks. Perhaps something could be worked out.
Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, Daniel relaxed and soon drifted off to sleep.