Chapter 18
Teaspoon took a seat on the sofa and looked upon the black box on the wall. He just finished eating his supper and wondered how the contraption worked. "How does this thing here work, Lou?" he wondered.
She came over to the coffee table and lifted up a remote control. She pressed the button and it turned on. The local news channel was broadcasting, "You can get the news and weather." she told him.
"The weather?" he asked. The television was memorizing for the old cowboy. He had never seen anything like it. "It's like a talking portrait and in color."
Jimmy, Kid and Billy gathered to watch the news. It was an invention like no other.
Kid stated, "So this is that television thing you and Sam were talking about."
"Sam's t.v." she nodded.
"How can they tell what the weather will be like tomorrow?" Billy wondered as he watched the forecast.
"The have all this fancy equipment." she shrugged unsure herself. "Usually right on the money."
Soon the weather report was over and the next segment started. On the screen was a photo of Ike. They drew a collective breath and listened to the report.
The handsome male anchor started, "And now for our final story we go to the County Hospital with a story on an amazing young man." On the television was a young pretty blonde haired woman wearing a red dress and held a microphone, "This is Angie Baker reporting from County Hospital on a unique story. Ike McSwain is a man who rode into town on a horse. He can't speak and lost his hair to Scarlet fever as a baby and is an orphan. He quickly drew the attention of a local deputy who took him to the hospital. I had the pleasure of meeting Ike today and of speaking with his doctor and the attempt to raise money for an operation to restore his voice."
The rider sat in absolute shock as Ike was suddenly on TV and charming his way through the interview as he used a pen and paper to communicate. A black man named Doctor Carson spoke to the reporter. "Ike's vocal cords are intact but stuck in scare tissue. Once we remove the tissue he will get his voice back. There is no reason in this day of age for anyone to suffer like this. He didn't have throat cancer and restoring his vocal cords is a very real possibility once we raise the funds to cover the hospital cost. I will be doing the surgery myself and I'm donating my services to this young man to do it."
The reporter asked, "What will Ike be doing once he gets his voice back?"
"He's expressed interest in working in the hospital. He's very well liked. Scarlet fever is something no one should ever have suffered from in this day of age. It's something you find in a 3rd world county."
The reporter asked, "Just where is Ike from?"
He replied, "He's homeless and lived on the street. We're not sure where he got the horse from yet but it's well taken care of. Ike would like to keep the horse once he gets on his feet. Right now it's being boarded as we treat Ike."
She mentioned to Ike, "I noticed you are really popular with the nurses."
He smiled and nodded and replied in American sign language.
She asked the doctor, "What did he say?"
He replied, "He liked the staff very well. Everyone is very nice to him."
She nearly flirted, "How can anyone not like that adorable face." She turned to the camera and spoke, "If you can help Ike to restore his voice please visit his gofund me page." The transmission they went back to the anchor in the studio.
Lou turned the volume down and looked at her friends, "I guess Ike is in the hospital."
Teaspoon asked, "Do you know how to get to the hospital, Lou?"
She nodded, "I can drive us there. It's the same hospital that Sam works at. She took me there a few times."
He announced, "Tomorrow we go get Ike."
Next Day
The next morning Lou drove Teaspoon to the hospital to get Ike as Billy, Jimmy and Kid stayed behind at the house.
Teaspoon spoke candidly to Lou, "You are getting the hang of this…what's is called? Car." he recalled.
"Sam made this look so easy. I really didn't think it would require so much attention." she confessed. "But it does get better the more I practice."
"Practice does make perfect." he agreed. "Must have been hard on ya being here the first time. You all alone here, no idea how to get back. I still don't know what happened to bring us here or how we will get back."
"Sam was trying to figure it out." Lou stated. "she couldn't figure it out either. She's real smart too."
Teaspoon suggested, "She get's that from you."
She blushed as she drove.
"One thing I don't understand about her though." he confessed.
"What's that?" she asked.
"Why such a pretty young woman who is a doctor to boot fancies Hickok." he pondered. "She could have any socialite she wanted. She marry a wealthy man and be set for life."
Lou asked with a cocked eyebrow, "She fancies, Jimmy?"
"She admitted it to me." he agreed.
She miffed, "I'll have a talk with Jimmy."
"I think that's the sign for the hospital there, Lou." he motioned.
She turned on the signal, "I see it."
In short time she had rolled into the parking garage and parked the car in Sam's reserved parking spot. She and Teaspoon emerged from the car and she decided she needed to warn him. "They have these lifts here called elevators. It's a big box that goes up and down to the floors. I thought I would warn ya."
"Thanks for the heads up." he replied trying to picture what such a contraption would look like.
It didn't take long before she led him into the elevator. Teaspoon grabbed the railing as he felt the floor move under his feet. The sensation gave him a feeling of dropping for just a second. They walked off the lift and he declared, "I could do without that lift."
They walked up to the security guard posted at the information desk. The guard handed each a mask immediately.
Lou took the mask as did Teaspoon upon realizing everyone was wearing one. She stated, "We are here to see Ike McSwain."
"You family?" he asked. "Only family can see him."
She glanced at Teaspoon.
He stated, "I'm his grandfather and this is his…sister." he lied.
"Just have a seat in the waiting room," he motioned towards the chairs.
They took a seat and waited.
A few minutes went by and Ike emerged from a corridor door. He was wearing blue scubs and been given a job cleaning floors for the time being. He wore a matching blue cap and his eyes lit up upon seeing Lou and Teaspoon. He immediately came to them. He grinned and motioned in the sign Buck had taught him.
Teaspoon responded, "Calm down son. We're just glad you are alright."
Ike removed a small note pad and pen from his shirt pocket and scribbled, "Sam?"
"She's back in our time. We went looking for you and got hit by some kind of wave." he informed.
He gave a nod understanding and wrote, "Who here?"
"Myself, Lou, Kid, Jimmy and Billy. We are staying at Sam's house for now. Lou can drive her car." he briefed. "How are you doing, son?"
He smiled and wrote, "Great!"
"Great?" he questioned.
"Fix voice." he wrote.
"I saw the news last night. That's how we knew where to find you." he explained. "Are they treating you well?"
He nodded and wrote, "Better than ever before!" He flipped to the next note book page, "I got a job, a doctor and friends."
"I'm glad," Teaspoon stated. "We're here to take you home."
Ike shook his head and wrote, "No!"
Lou gasped, "What do you mean no?"
"I like it here." he wrote.
"But we don't belong here." she countered.
"I'm staying here." he wrote.
Lou asked, "What about Buck? He's your best friend."
He wrote, "Buck can come live here too."
"We don't belong here." she countered.
"We don't belong in our time either." he wrote.
"You don't want to leave?" she gasped.
He nodded and wrote, "Life is better here."
"I know it is." she agreed. "I know how easy their inventions made things but we're family."
"I met a girl." he added.
"Who?" she demanded.
He wrote, "Ally and she's a nurse. We got a date tonight."
Lou looked to Teaspoon for guidance.
He figured, "I can't make go back if you don't want to son. You can always come and see us at Sam's house. We will be here until we find a way back."
"Address?" Ike wrote down.
"Lou can give it to you." he told him for he didn't know the address.
Lou took out Sam's phone to have Ike write it down but instead found Ike retrieved his own phone from his back pocket. She looked, "You have a phone here?"
He nodded and wrote, "Ally got it for me." He wrote again, "What is Sam's phone number? Text me address."
"Text?" Teaspoon asked confused.
Lou took the pen and wrote down the phone number. "What's your number, Ike?" She figured she should get his number too.
He jotted it down and ripped the sheet of paper off the pad and handed it to her.
Lou took the paper and folded it and placed it in her pocket. "You sure about this, Ike?"
He gave a nod.
"Okay," she gave a sigh and then hugged him. "You come by and see us."
He promised he would in sign.
Teaspoon figured, "I guess we should get going then."
Ike offered a hand shake.
Teaspoon shook his head and stated, "The door is open to you, son."
He gave a nod of understanding. He stood and watched as Teaspoon and Lou both turned to leave the hospital before returning to his job. The pair left feeling defeated.
"I guess Ike's not going back." Lou figured.
Teaspoon agreed, "I can't say I blame him. Here he can get his voice back, a job and even has a nurse."
"He's got his own phone!" Lou gasped. "I'm using Sam's."
"I guess Ike found where he fits in after all." he figured.
Lou miffed, "He fit in with us too."
"I'm disappointed too, Lou but Ike has to do what is best for himself, not we want him to do." he figured.
"I know." she agreed feeling down.