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CHAPTER I "Verily, verily I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but
what he seeth the Father do, for what things soever he doeth these also
doeth the Son likewise." John 5:19 March 31, 1999 The man lay on the bed.
Death marched across the pain etched wrinkles around his eyes and mouth,
but did not erase the light of his countenance, nor the gentle acceptance
of his eyes. The room was as cheery as love could make it. Crisp yellow
curtains moved with the slightest breeze wafting the scent of the magnolia
tree planted outside the window. The pale yellow paint of the walls seemed
to capture and hold the sunshine inside the room. A bird feeder insured
the sight of an occasional cardinal, or jay. Everything that love could
do for the comfort of the invalid had been done. The only mar to its perfection
were the rows of medicine bottles littering the small table near his bed
along with the books and pencil puzzles. 'I've been given so much,' thought
the man as he surveyed his small domain, then spoke his next thought aloud,
"I can't let you do this, Seth, you've only two years until your residency,
if you stop now it will take you six years to catch up, or you never will."
The man on the bed spoke with intense fervor through the weakness that
had captured his voice. He was thin, attenuated, almost ethereal as he
lay on his deathbed. His grey hair had turned to white with the illness
that was wrenching the life from his body one sharp tug at a time. Peering
to see if his words had made any impression on his oldest son, and seeing
the stubborn set of his jaw the man continued, "My pension will see to
your Mother, and Beth, the rest of you are old enough to stand on your
own. Promise me you will not leave medical school." "Sorry, Pop, but I
think Mom and Beth need me, and you do too. I won't lose that much by doing
what I know is right." Seth brushed his one lock of brown hair that continually
fell into his eyes back in an unconscious gesture of running his right
hand through his hair. There was no depending on the pension, he knew.
The medical bills had eaten up those dividends for years to come, and the
loans they had made while their father was out of work had to be paid back.
Not only that, but the funeral would take all of the small life insurance
policy. The large one only canceled out the mortgage, at least the house
would be paid for, but taxes, and upkeep, and the medical bills would eat
up the pension. "The sacrifice is too great, Seth." "This is coming from
you, Pop? I've watched you sacrifice for us all these years, and for others
you didn't know I knew about. Mom will be okay, I know that, I'm only staying
until Beth gets through high school. Then she can go to college or not
as she chooses. Four years isn't that much to give a family who has given
me everything." "What about Cari, Seth? She's waited a long time for you
already. You and she were going to get married, and finish your medical
training together. "Cari will understand, Pop, we'll work it out together.
Meanwhile I made this decision so that you could put your mind to rest
about all of us. I have a job here with the hospital already lined up.
Dr. Allingham hired me on at top pay in the lab. He'll see that I have
time to do all the reading I need to do to keep up. It may take me a little
longer, but I'll be a surgeon. I have to be, Pop, it's all I ever wanted
to be." Seth, Sr. looked long and hard at his son. Here was a man to make
a father proud. He saw that his son would care for his family all his days.
The father gave a silent prayer that his son would live long and realize
all his dreams. "Thank you, son," he murmured through the tears in his
throat. He wondered if Cari really would understand.
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