the risks, and his Grandma had signed
the release. He was glad. He was an
optimist, in spite of circumstances.
David was totally distracted because
he was totally focused. Today the
results of his research and engineering
would be put to the test. With so
much at stake, he had been reluctant
to share even with his own family. He
was a key part of the team and would
be in the operating room guiding the
surgeons through the process. Practising in the
lab on animals and cadavers could only prepare
them for a limited variety of possibilities. The
damage inside this little patient could be a
whole new scenario. It would be an early start
for the entire team.
He had been on autopilot: driving, parking,
navigating the halls, but now he kicked into
overdrive. As images of the organs and vessels
solidified in his brain, David suited up,
checked tissues and surgical instruments and
monitor systems. The next few hours would
engage that deep part of his brain that saw
possibilities and processed minute details.
It could allow no distractions.
They wheeled Tommy in and his eyes locked
onto David’s. Neither smiled, but they shared a
small nod of understanding. If all went well, they
could share another nod this afternoon.
Denise was furious! It had been building
throughout the soccer game. Details of the
game barely registered as she kept watch for
David’s familiar stride, but he hadn’t shown
up. Jackson didn’t seem upset and tried to tell
her, ‘It’s okay, Mom. He can come next time.”
But then, at seven years old, perhaps he really
believed his father was Superman. Now, as she
parked at the hospital she was on a mission.
Silent and determined, one child on each hand,
she marched toward the main entry and into the
large, glass and granite foyer. She spotted him
across the busy reception area just as his eyes
found her. They headed on a collision course, but
suddenly a small, gray-haired woman flung her
arms around David’s middle sobbing, “Thank
you. My grandson is all I have left and your
surgery saved him!”
Helpless, David looked across the tousled
grey head at his wife and mouthed the words,
“I’m sorry.”
Frozen in her tracks, as she grasped the
enormity of the situation, Denise swallowed back
the tirade she had planned and mouthed back to
him, “I love you, Superman.”
And there it was, that grin that had always
melted her heart, and still did. ●
news&views SUMMER 2019 | 47