Alone by David M. Cope (new reading .txt) 📖

a stressful situation they took the time to carefully explain every detail to the children. And Emily was a doll. She was very strict about following her mother's instructions. It said a lot for her integrity. She was definitely a keeper.
They arrived at the hospital. Delbert and Jennifer went into the exam room with Mark while Janice waited with Emily in the waiting room. It was an hour before Jennifer came out to talk to them. The doctors were waiting on the blood tests and x-rays before they would tell them anything. As they were talking the doctor came out to discuss his diagnosis.
“Mrs. Grey, I'd like to keep Mark overnight to watch him. And I'd like to run a few more tests.”
Janice asked, “What's wrong with him?”
“I'll be honest, we don't know yet. He has a temperature of 101 degrees, he's chilling, sweating, shallow breathing, his electrolytes are low, his red blood count is low, and his sugar level is low. We need to run some more tests before I can even attempt a guess. We have several empty rooms so you all can stay with him, if you'd like. The little girl can sleep in the other bed and we can give you a couple of cots, blankets and pillows. The nurse will take care of you. I'll check in on Mark again in a couple of hours and again tomorrow morning. Do you have a family physician?”
“Yes we do.”
“You need to call him so he can refer you to a pediatrician.”
“I'll call him immediately.” Jennifer made the call while Janice talked to the doctor.
“Doctor, I am Janice Linden from Children Services. We will be taking care of the bill for Mark. Whatever he needs, give it to him.”
“I thought the Grey's were the parents of the children?”
“They are the godparents and are in the process of adopting them. But for now, they are getting help from us until they can adopt the children and get insurance.”
“Good enough. I'll see you in the morning.”
“Dr. Woods is calling a friend of his to check Mark. He is already here making his rounds. Do you mind if I go back in until he gets here?” asked Jennifer.
“That will be fine. I'll wait out here. Emily? Would you like to go down to the restaurant with me to get something to eat or drink?” asked Janice.
“I would rather be with Mark. Is he going to be alright?”
“Yes, sweetheart, Mark will be alright. The doctors will do everything they can to help him.”
Tears filled her eyes as Emily remarked, “That's what they said when mommy got sick and went to the hospital. And she died.”
“You mustn't think that way, Emily. People get sick all the time and get well. Let's pray everything will be all right,” said Jennifer as she hugged her. ”You can come back with me and see Mark. He might like to see you, too.”
A couple of hours later Delbert came out to take Janice back to the office. On the way Janice noticed he was unusually quiet. “What's wrong?” she asked.
“I'm not sure. I'm really worried about Mark. His color is bad and he seemed to be having trouble breathing. I hope and pray he'll be okay. I don't know what Emily would do if anything happened to her little brother. They're awful close. And Jennifer would go crazy.”
“What about you?” asked Janice.
Delbert looked at her and looked away without saying anything. But he looked worried. Janice said a silent prayer. She went over in her mind what she needed to do tonight to get everything started for Delbert and Janice to adopt Emily and Mark. She had everything for the notarized letter at home. She had to start there before she could do anything else. Delbert had said Emily's mother had died in April. So she needed to backdate the paperwork for about February. And she would have to sign the mother's name to the letter.
She knew what she was about to do wasn't legal, but she also knew the children needed to be with Delbert and Jennifer. They have been alone for too long. And the system didn't always work out for the best. She just hoped and prayed everything would go smoothly. If she was caught, she would lose everything she had worked for. But in her heart she knew it was worth the risk. These kids needed to have a home with loving parents. And she was going to see to it they had it.
The next morning Janice called Jennifer to find out how Mark was. The doctor had not yet come in. So Janice went straight to the hospital to sit with them and wait for the doctor. She also needed to get Delbert and Jennifer to sign the letter. After it was signed, it would be legal. They would be the godparents of Emily and Mark. And they would be able to keep the kids with them until the adoption was finalized.
The doctor had ordered a battery of tests for Mark. All morning he was shuttled back and forth from one place to another. All the while he slept through most of it. About noon she came in and talked with the family.
“Mr. and Mrs. Grey, my name is Deborah Cross. I'm a Pediatrician. Dr. Woods asked me to take over on Mark's case. He is a very sick little boy. He has several problems going on. But from all you've told me, I think it all stems from the same problem. During the months they lived alone, the children weren't eating properly. Because of that, Mark is badly malnourished and I'm sure Emily may be also. But I think with the proper medicine and eating the right foods they will be fine. I'd like to examine Emily so I can get her started on the medicine, also.”
“You mean he is going to be okay?” asked Jennifer.
“He should be fine in a few months. It may take that long for his body to heal. By then he should be able to come off the medicine.”
“That’s all? Just give him medicine and making sure he eats properly?” Jennifer asked with tears in her eyes.
“He'll have to stay in the hospital for at least two weeks. Depending on his progress, we'll decide what happens then. Do you have any questions?”
“Will his recovery be complete?” asked Delbert.
“He should be a new person in a few months.”
Jennifer grabbed Delbert and kissed him. Then she took Emily into her arms and hugged her. ”Thank God,” she said.
“And thank you doctor,” said Janice.
“My pleasure,” she said. ”You know, he is a very lucky little boy. Another month and he may not have recovered.”
Emily put her hand on Mark's arm and kissed him on the forehead. She looked tired. Janice wondered how much longer she could have lasted. It had to be rough living under a bridge all alone. She wondered if she herself could have done it. Thank God Delbert found them and brought them home.
Doctor Cross said, “Emily will need to spend a couple of days in the hospital. We'll put her in here with Mark. She should be able to go home in two or three days. I want to run some tests to make sure she isn't in the same shape as Mark. I'll see all of you this evening. In the mean time, let's get Emily into bed and let them rest for a few hours. Emily looks like she could use some rest and I know Mark needs it.”
Juan visited the kids twice while they were in the hospital. He could see that Delbert and Jennifer were taking excellent care of them. He was happy for them. At least they wouldn't end up in a gang, or worse. Emily came home on Thursday. Mark came home two weeks later. Delbert had already bought new furniture for his room. There was a bed with a frame that looked like a car, walls painted to look like the pit of a race track complete with pit crew, a television with a game console already hooked up, a stack of games almost as tall as Mark, a DVD player with a pile of movies and a closet full of new clothes. When he saw his new room he ran and jumped in the bed. Then he asked about the games and console.
“That is a Play Station with a bunch of games,” said Delbert.
“I never played any games before. Are they fun?”
“You bet they are.”
“Will you show me how to play them?”
“You bet I will. Just let me know when you want to play. And here is a DVD player and some movies. I'll show you how to work all the buttons to play the movies.”
While they worked on the DVD player and game console Emily watched. She had her room made over, also. The walls were painted pink, The bed was queen size with a pink bedspread with lilacs embroidered on it, a DVD player with movies, laptop computer and she also had a closet full of clothes.
Both Emily and Mark were feeling much better, although Mark was still weak. Emily's color was much better. Jennifer had taken her to have her hair trimmed and styled. She was almost unrecognizable. During those last three weeks the four of them had become quite close.
Over the next six months the adoption paperwork was completed and the adoption was finalized. They were now a family. Jennifer cut her hours to spend more time with Emily and Mark. Delbert spent every second he could with his new family. Mark had become his shadow when they were together. He had never known a father and Delbert was an excellent one.
Juan continued to visit the kids once in awhile. He and Delbert became close friends. Mark and Emily adored him. About two years after the adoption, Delbert read in the paper that Juan had been wounded in a drive-by shooting. He was in a coma. They all four visited him in the hospital several times. About a month later Juan died, having never come out of the coma.
At the funeral home Emily met his mother. She wanted to say something that would make her feel better. Having lost her mother, she knew what Mrs. Sanchez was going through. “Mrs. Sanchez?”
“Si?” replied Mrs. Sanchez.
“My name is Emily Grey. Juan was my friend. My momma died about three years ago and she is in heaven. If you don't mind, I'll talk to her and ask her to take care of Juan.”
Tears streamed down her face as Mrs. Sanchez hugged Emily. “Thank you very much, Emily. That is very kind of you. I would like that very much.”
“Okay,” said Emily. After