The Arcade

After the cards, flowers, and one stuffed bear had been purchased, everyone got on the elevator and headed up to Theo’s room. Since it was located on the third floor of the hospital, the elevator ride didn’t take long. Almost directly ahead of the elevator doors was a small kiosk with a sign that read “Med/Surg Information Desk” – behind which sat another volunteer.

The young “candy-striper” smiled as Joe, Rosie, and the friends approached the desk. “Can I help you?” she asked

Rosie smiled back and said “Yes, please. We’re here to see Theo Castelhano.”

The young woman behind the desk tapped in Theo’s name into her computer, and immediately looked backed up at Rosie and replied “He’s in room 310, bed B.” She stood slightly and, leaning over the desk, pointed to a corridor on her right. “It’s just down there, fifth door on the right. His bed is next to the window.”

They all thanked her, and headed down the corridor in the direction of Theo’s room. Upon entering Theo’s hospital room, they found him flipping through the channels on the TV, which was anchored to the wall close to the ceiling. His mother Vita was sitting in a chair next to the bed reading Better Homes and Gardens. The bed closest to the door was unoccupied.

“Heya, chump.”

Theo looked up to see Cosmo walking toward him with Bobby, Holly, and Cosmo’s folks in tow. They were all smiling.

“Cosmo! Bobby! Hey – you’re all here!”

“Yup.” Bobby said. “We’re all here – even Holly.”

Holly smiled with all of her braces showing as she slugged Bobby in the arm.

“Ow!” he yelped. “Did you see that? Mr. Phillips? Anybody?”

Theo’s mother Vita stood with her arms wide to fold them all into an embrace. Bobby, rubbing his right arm, leaned in to return the hug. Vita smacked him lightly on the back of his head, then hugged him tight.

After a long embrace, Cosmo, Bobby, and Holly gathered around Theo and started peppering him with questions about the food, the treatment, if he was in pain, and from Bobby – if any of his nurses were ‘hot’. Holly slugged him again – in his other arm.

“I’m so happy to see you all here. My Theo has been asking all morning when I thought you all might be here to see him. He’s missed his friends, I think.” Vita’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Rosie put her arms around Vita and said “We’re all family, honey – you know that. Wild horses couldn’t keep us away. Besides, Cosmo insisted we come as soon as possible – which for him meant after school.”

Joe leaned in at this point and asked “How long do they think they’re going to keep him here?”

Vita replied “The doctor said that Theo will need to stay for another two weeks, during which time he’ll be in intensive physical therapy. After that, we can bring him home, but he’ll still have to see a physical therapist twice a week for about three months – maybe less, depending on how well he does.”

Rosie was holding Vita’s hand in hers. “Well, you know that if you need Cosmo to help with anything, all you have to do is let him know. He’s already told us he’d be glad to.”

“Yeah,” Joe added “and it’ll give Rosie and me a chance to sleep in on the weekends.”

Rosie gave Joe a look.

He flinched. “What?”

“You always sleep in on the weekends, mister. I’m the one who gets snored out of the room at six in the morning, seven days a week.” Rosie was looking at Joe with one eyebrow notched up. “In fact, I haven’t ‘slept in’” Here Rosie made quotation signs in the air with her fingers. “since our honeymoon – any idea how long that’s been?”

Still holding Rosie’s hands in hers, Vita turned her head to look at Joe and said “ I believe that’s ‘checkmate’.”

“It looks totally uncomfortable.” Observed Holly. “Isn’t it hard to sleep like that?” She was referring to Theo’s arm. It was encased in a plaster cast at a nearly 90 degree angle from his torso. His leg was cast as well, but only slightly elevated, and with traction weights connected to a series of thin ropes and pulleys running over a frame attached to the end of the bed.

“It’s not too bad, especially after they give me my pain meds.” He smiled, and added “But things start to get real fuzzy after they do, and I feel like I’m floating around the room.”

Bobby’s eyes wandered over the series of ropes and pulleys attached to his leg cast, following them to their termination in little weights at the foot of the bed. “Dude, you gotta be kiddin’ me. You look like a scene from a Three Stooges short! What’s all this stuff for, anyway?”

“The doctors tell me it’s to help keep the bones in their correct positions while they ‘knit’ – which I guess means the same as grow back together.” Theo said.

“Well,” Cosmo said “It ain’t gonna be a whole lotta fun being laid up like this for the next two months, no matter how much morphine they give ya.”

“Yeah, but it’s a whole lot better than dead.” Replied Theo.

“Yeah.” Seconded Bobby

“Yeah.” Holly whispered

“You ain’t kiddin’” Cosmo finished.

Joe, Rosie, and Theo’s mother joined the group at Theo’s bedside. Taking notice of the silence, Joe said “Everything okay over here? This is supposed to be a happy day. You all look like someone told you that Christmas was cancelled.”

“Sorry, Mr. P.” Holly began. “It just kinda hit home all of a sudden how lucky Theo was.” Bobby and Cosmo silently agreed with nods of their heads.

Joe stuck his hand in his pockets and said “Oh, I don’t much believe in luck, gang. I do believe in God’s intervention, and the power of prayer. What we have here is clear evidence of both.”

Bobby asked “How is this God’s intervention? I mean, why not just keep Theo from wrecking at all?” All eyes turned to Joe.

“Well, think of it like this – suppose God chose not to intervene, and instead of Theo wrecking in the intersection because his motorcycle malfunctioned, he was struck by a car while in heavy traffic. Not only could his injuries have been worse – perhaps even fatal – but other people may have been hurt as well.”

Holly looked over at Theo, then to Bobby, her gaze finally coming to rest on Cosmo. “I know God is watching over us.” Her eyes held Cosmo’s as she added “I can feel it.”

“Then you must also feel that our prayers are heard.” Joe continued. “God knows our needs and cares, but He wants us to talk to Him – to confide in Him, and trust that He will always do what is best for each one of us.”

Rosie moved closer to her husband to slip under his left arm, and Theo’s mother took his hand in hers. She said “I think that’s our cue to offer up a prayer of thanks.”

At this suggestion, everyone around Theo’s bed joined hands and, leading the prayer, Rosie began: Our Father, who art in Heaven…”

After they prayed, Theo was the first to speak up. Smiling, he looked around at the friends and family around his bed and said “I am so stoked that you all are here. I’m gonna kinda hate that I am gonna be laid up for as long as I am, but it’ll be good to know that you guys are gonna be buggin’ the heck outta my folks by visiting so much.”

“Not so fast, buster.” Vita said. “Your rehabilitation and rest come first, then your school-work,” Theo opened his mouth to protest, but his mother cut him off “which your friends are going to make sure they bring home with them each day – so you don’t fall behind in your studies. Now, which friend would like to have the honor of keeping Theo smart?” Vita looked at the teens with her trademarked ‘I’m waiting’ arched eyebrow.

Holly spoke up first and said “Cosmo and I will make sure Theo gets his homework.” Looking up at Cosmo, she finished with “Won’t we?” It wasn’t a question.

“Yup. Don’t want Chuckles here to become anymore of a goober than he already is.” Cosmo smiled over at Theo, who managed to scowl in return.

“Then it’s settled.” Said Vita. Looking at Theo, she continued “Your friends can come over in the evenings and on the weekends – after everyone’s homework is done and on the days when you don’t have your physical therapy.”

“Mrs. Castelhano?” Holly began “What about Mass? If Theo is going to be stuck at home for the next several weeks, is Father Larkin going to come out to your house to give Communion to Theo?”

“Hey, she’s got a point, Vita.” Joe said.

Vita held up a dismissive hand and said “Already taken care of. While Theo is here, Father Larkin will look in on him while he’s making his regular hospital visit. After we get home, Theo should be able to travel by car – although he’ll be in a wheelchair.”

“Will you be able to get his wheelchair into the trunk of your car?” asked Rosie.

“Yeah,” continued Joe “That Toyota of yours is on the small side.”

Vita frowned. “I hadn’t thought of that. Now that you mention it, I don’t think it will.”

Joe smiled and said “That’s a problem I can solve. We’ll just use our Volvo. It has more than enough room for his wheelchair.”

Vita’s face broke into a smile of relief, and Theo said “Cool! Your car’s more roomy than our little matchbox car, too.”

“Hey – that ‘little matchbox car’ was your father’s idea, not mine. I wanted the Lincoln Towncar, but he kept going on about ‘gas mileage’ – whatever in the world that means.” Theo’s mother patted him on the arm and, turning to Joe, said “Thank you so much, Joe.”

“That’s what friends do, Vita – we look out for each other.” Looking over at Cosmo, he said “Son, we need to be going in a few minutes. Holly and Bobby need to get home to supper, I’m sure – and so do we. Theo is going to be wanting to eat soon too, I’m sure.”

Theo made a face and said “I wouldn’t call what they’ve been giving me ‘food’. Three meals in and I’m convinced they’re trying to find new uses for cardboard.”

His mother nodded, saying “It really doesn’t smell very good, either. I’m going to have to smuggle him in proper Italian home cooking if my Theo is to keep from wasting away.”

“Italian home cooking, eh?” Joe’s eyebrows notched up in approval. “I’ve had your linguini and clams marinara. Maybe I need to fall down a flight of stairs or something, huh?”

Rosie gave her husband a shove, replying “You do and it won’t be linguini you’ll be eating, mister – it’ll be baby food!”

Their laughter could be heard clear down to the nurse’s station.