Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1928-09-07
The Patient and
His Son
BY HELEN GREEN
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(COpyTightl

|
II WAS 50 quiet in the big bare hos
p!tal room that even the slow
brealhing of the single patient In the
| high white iron bed sounded unusually
| loud
Little Miss Rooney glanced into the
| still room and after a long look at
the mnil"nless figure on the bed, shook
her bronze curls and sighed ponder
Ously
Outside the world was riot of
beautiful. summer sunshine Rampant
vegetation everywhere proclaimed the
| lavish hand of natures extrayagant
arti,trI II made no appeal whatso-
ever to the inert patient in al. Only
that morning doctors had proclaimed
that there was nothing lacking In
Nlck's sturdy physical condition to
maj most speedy recovery. yet he
lay, day after day. not gaining or
losing simply lying I'm silent apathy
Thus thought Miss Rooney. Miss
Rooney. aside from being the most
efficient graduate nurse at ECH. was
also quite PROFESSIONALLY the most
| OlhHH'lllul HuJuuCt llle luStituilul Hau
ever boosted
And thus far Miss Rooney, In all
her five feet three of utter feminine
adorabeness, had failed, quite, to reg
lister on the stony heart of the patient
In "2l" The doctor was In despair
He's ben married; and his wife
is still living" reported Miss Rooney
to Doctor Hidden.
divorce, most likely Think he's
worrying over that?" he asked with
brusk efficiency.
"Oh. no; he says that women don't
count In his Ilfe," reported Miss
Rooney His wife left him and his
only son seems to sympathIze with
the mother. And he has money"
"IIuhw and Doctor MADDEN strobe
down the corridor for thought
Two weeks slipped by and con
ference was called In "21" With
brutal frankness, Doctor Hadden told
Nick the truth:
you've got fighting chance to
fight this thing out and get back again
on the job, IL you'll only half try !
We cant do 1t all, man. You've got
to carry your share-and you're not
even trylngw Doctor Hadden stopped
abruptly AT the vacant look In his pm
tents eyes.
allow long must / stay in this cast2"
came from the tightly drawn mouth
of the patient.
mot more than 1. year-if you make
up yOm mind to fightl"
"Oh." NJ encouragement; no resig-
nation. Jus complete Indifference.
Three months had elapsed since his
accident
Whatever lay behind his tortured
brown eyes, no one could guess. He
was rs unfathOmable as the sphinx.
At times Miss Rooney could weep
with despair; at other times she
Ionged to take his curly black head
to her breasl and Groom to him IN
tender sympathy.
Monday morning broke clear and
fiawless; a perfect day for the laying
of the cornerstone of the new Holmes
hall dormitory endowed for ECH
Nick lay watching tiny feecln. white
cloud sailing slowly over the tall elms
Of the hospital yard. His bed was
out on the porch and the only evl
dence OF interest he showed In his
surroundings was to stare with moOG!
apparently unseeing eyes a. the sky
over the tall sentinel elms. Suddenly,
from the rear of the building. came
series Of pues and staccato exhaust
explosions, lnterspersed With the long
peculiar cough OF steam shovel
Nick rolled over abruptly and rang
the bell at the side Of the bed. Again
he rang violently ard Miss Rooney
put In n startled hurried appearance
"Yes, Mr.. NlchOlsf"
"Go 10 the rear OF this building ana
see II that shovel Is an Otln, please,
Miss Rooney Get busy, please, and
DOM stand there staring like claml"
Miss Rooney jumped at the note OF
brisk command and fled down the hall.
her cheeks tlngllng
"Why," she gasped to herself, hes
wonderful-sO forceful, so command
ing"
"Mr. Nichols" she said moment
later.
"Well, hurry up and say II. Is 1t
an Otln?" demanded Nick irasclbly.
Yes. and the young man who is
operating II waved to me. and he has
the most marvellous hair and eyes you
ever saw I'm wild about him"
ayes. yes. OF course His name Is
George aud he Is my son Go ahead
and fall In love with him. He'll fall
In love with you quickly enough His
one fatal weakness Is red hair But
please. in the meantime, bring me
something decent to eat, will you, Miss
Rooncyf I'm fed up on this molly
coddling diet Of Infants foodw
Miss Rooney managed to reach the
diet Kitchen without collision, though
She was In such a complete state OF
CONSERVATION that II remained a mys-
terry TO her how she did It.
Three days later Nick was sitting
IN wheel-chair, watching with hun.
grA eyes the expert manipulation Of
the steam shovel by the tall, dark.
haired youth whose eyes were ever
seeking those Of his father, causing
him 10 smile In rich content
And when Nick was well enough
to start for South America with his
son on long difficult Job, Sheila
Rooney wondered dumbly how she
was ever to live through the Inter
venlne weeks until the big handsome