Chapter 33
Laine
Jack and I couldn’t sleep last night. I think we’re a little giddy. We arrived at the hospital as soon as Abdo was awake and have been hanging out with him and helping him get ready. Today’s the day that he’ll finally get to move to the regular pediatric ward. They’ve been able to conquer the infection, and his burns are healed enough that he’s safe. He needs to get back to being a kid.
With Jack’s help, Faheen and Amani have found a small home in one of the suburbs with four bedrooms, so the girls and Abdo will each have their own rooms when he’s ready to come home. Hopefully, that won’t be much longer. The entire Bior family is coming today because, in addition to the move, it’s Abdo’s sixth birthday.
They bustle in with a wrapped gift, as well as their usual supply of delicious food.
“Are you excited?” I ask Amani.
Amani holds my hand. “Nervous too.”
“This is going to be wonderful for him,” I assure her. “And you’ll be a steady presence in his life now, no matter where he goes. I believe his parents made sure the two of you connected.”
“We believe that too,” Faheen says. “And they made sure Dr. Drake was our doctor. He’s the best doctor in the world.”
Jack smiles, and his ears turn red. I like to see him embarrassed every now and then.
“You’ve made so much progress, Abdo,” Jack says, and Faheen translates. “You’re getting better now, so you’re going to move to a new part of the hospital where there’s lots more to do. But before that happens, guess what? Today is your birthday!”
Abdo breaks into a smile. “Really?”
“Really,” Faheen confirms, holding up a small present wrapped in colorful paper.
Abdo slowly reaches for the present. Faiz, the younger Bior sister, helps him open it while they sing a song in Sudanese Arabic.
Tears leak from the corners of his eyes, and he murmurs something.
Faheen translates. “The song is one his mother would sing to him on his birthday, and Amani tells him she’s in heaven looking down. She wants him to be happy and healthy.”
Jack puts his arm around me, and I push another box over to Abdo. He tears away the paper, and inside are a Rubik’s cube, several card games, and a Sudanese game called Dala, which, loosely translated, means herding the cows. The owners of Harambe Ethiopian restaurant helped me find a local craftsman to make it.
His eyes light up, as do the girls’.
“This is my favorite!” Amal, the older Bior daughter, jumps up and down.
We help them clear a space, and the Bior family plays Dala with Abdo.
After a few rounds, the nurses from the pediatric ward come and ask Abdo if he’d like to have birthday cake in his new room. His mouth falls open, and Jack and I help the Biors gather all of his things and carry them down the hallway, into the elevator and out into Abdo’s much larger, brightly colored room on the children’s ward.
Everyone comes to celebrate him, and Jack’s made sure there are enough cupcakes to go around—after lunch, of course. We eat in the garden, and then Abdo returns to his new room for some downtime in the afternoon. We don’t want to wear him out on the very first day. The Bior girls settle in on either side of him to watch some shows on the television now mounted on the wall.
Jack squeezes my hand, and after saying our goodbyes, we walk out of Abdo’s room and continue out of the hospital. I can’t even believe the change in Abdo. He’s going to do well. His health is better, and he’s surrounded by people who love him. Cordelia Johns will continue to treat him, and in a few years, Jack will bring him in for surgery again. But for now, he’s with his new family, he’s transitioned to a space in the hospital where he can be social and expand his learning, and he’s on track to move home with the Biors in a few more weeks and start school in the fall.
When we get outside, I turn to Jack and smile. “Where to?”
“I’ll go anywhere, as long as I’m with you.”
“You have a few days off,” I remind him. “How about we get the Lazy Rocket and find a place on Vancouver Island where we can hide?”
“I love you always and forever,” Jack says as he kisses my temple.
After everything we’ve been through, and all we’ve managed to overcome, I know there’s nothing that can stop us now.
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey with the Men of Mercy.