Chapters (38)
- one
- two
- three
- four
- five
- six
- seven
- eight
- nine
- ten
- eleven
- twelve
- thirteen
- fourteen
- fifteen
- sixteen
- seventeen
- eighteen
- nineteen
- twenty
- twenty-one
- twenty-two
- twenty-three
- twenty-four
- twenty-five
- twenty-six
- twenty-seven
- twenty-eight
- twenty-nine
- thirty
- thirty-one
- thirty-two
- thirty-three
- thirty-four
- thirty-five
- thirty-six
- thirty-seven
- epilogue
Dr. Deason listened to Johnny’s heart and smiled at Violet. He wound his stethoscope around his neck as he told her, “You can hold his hand. Talk to him about things you’ve done together.”
Violet searched for an appropriate memory to recite in front of Dr. Deason. She settled on a night they’d gone for ice cream after a basketball victory, then segued into Johnny’s love of the game and how strong he’d always been. She told him, “You have to wake up. We all need you, Johnny.”
Dr. Deason nodded approvingly. “I’ll be in the hospital for a few more hours today. Have one of the nurses find me when he opens his eyes.” Violet liked that he didn’t say “if.” She gave him her brightest smile, determined to be cheerful for Johnny and the rest of the world.
Violet waited for three hours while Johnny never twitched a finger. Nurses came and went without saying much. They offered her encouraging smiles and drinks of water. Her mother wandered in and out of the room, her lips pursed into a thin line. Red stared from the bench when the door opened, but did not join her. Violet knew her parents wouldn’t wait much longer to go home. She stood and whispered into his bandaged ear, “I’ll be back soon, and you’ll be feeling much better. I love you, Johnny Perkins.” She found a patch of exposed forehead to kiss.
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn exchanged weary glances when their daughter emerged from Johnny’s room. “We’ll try to get back here soon, honey,” her daddy said.
“Not soon, Daddy,” Violet insisted. “Tomorrow.”
Alice shot her husband a look that combined ‘I told you so’ with ‘keep your mouth shut.’ “No, Violet, we live far from the hospital. You have school to attend and responsibilities at home. We’ll bring you back later this week.”
Violet noticed Red was gone, and decided to shift the conversation. “When did he leave?”
“About an hour ago,” her father said. “Come on, honey, we all need to eat and rest. Dr. Perkins has promised to telephone us if there’s any change.”
Violet laid down in the back seat of Daddy’s Chevrolet and fell asleep immediately. Her mother shook her shoulder gently and said, “Violet, we’re home. Come help me with supper.”
“Mama, I feel really sick. I’m going to my room. You can manage without me, can’t you?”
“All right, honey. I’ll check on you in a while.”