Chapter 5
In the morning as Timothy dressed, he took some time to look around the quaint little room he was staying in. It had been rather dark the night before but now in the morning sunlight he could see its features. It was plain but comfortable, giving the same warm feeling that the rest of the house and its occupants gave. There were some interesting small drawings and paintings covering two of the walls top to bottom and the other two were likewise covered, but by large bookcases, filled to brimming. Timothy found many of the favourite novels he had enjoyed in his youth and made a mental note to ask Miss Davis if he could borrow them.
The dining room wasn't difficult to find, he simply followed the loud hum of chatter and clinking dishes. Mrs Davis saw him first and quickly placed him beside her at the large table, filling his plate and asking how he had slept. "I was quite comfortable Mrs Davis, thank you. How is Dr Davis this morning?" "No better in body but his spirit rested easy last night now that you and Michaela are here. She is with him now, I will take you to them once you've eaten" Once everyone was just finishing up, the woman stood and clapped her hands, earning almost immediate silence from her brood. "Children I would like you to welcome Reverend Johnson to our house. He is to stay with us awhile to care for father and I want every one of you to do your part in making him feel at home." A few of the smaller children just stared at him but he was relieved to see many shy smiles and a few waves in his direction. Turning to him once more, Mrs Davis explained, "My husband and I have twelve children but not all are here at the moment, Reverend. My three oldest girls are at college right now, but they will be home this evening for the weekends time. Jessica –whom you met last light- is out running errands with the two youngest and here you see the rest." Jessica appeared then and she and the older children cleared the table, one bringing Mrs Davis a cup of coffee for their father and another for Timothy. When the mess was cleared away, they all came to him and introduced themselves with a handshake before grabbing their lunch bags and running off to school.
Walter and Michaela were chatting when Timothy stepped into the room. They waved him over and he sat on the edge of the bed. Walter asked Michaela to repeat what she had been telling him. "Walter has a stomach tumor," she said, "it is in a very precarious position; I can see why the other doctors chose not to even try and remove it." Walter reached for her hand. "The Lord has showed me that it is not my time to go just yet though. I have decided that if Dr Mike will attempt the surgery, I am willing to put myself into her hands. If you Reverend Johnson will hear my confession, we shall attempt the surgery tonight." Dr Mike left the room and Walter began his confession. They had a lengthy talk about faith and Timothy found he had a lot in common with the humble and zealous man. He tried to stay away from any topics they might began to disagree upon, so as to not provoke debate but he could tell the man wanted to test Timothy's metal. They delved into many topics and hardly noticed the passing hours until Jessica brought up a tray of lunch for them. Her interruptance only broke the conversation for a moment. Dr Davis dove right back in. Timothy saw a beaming smile on the daughter's face and she mouthed a silent 'thank you' to which he smiled in response. He spent the rest of the afternoon with the man preparing him for that evening's ordeal.
The eldest girls arrived home right before supper. They immediately ran to their father's room, finally ending the men's talk with their hugs and chatter. They were introduced to Timothy and he thought to himself that the Davis parents were surely blessed. The girls were stunning. The eldest, Elizabeth at 23 had her mother's angelic disposition, which matched well with her curly blond hair and blue eyes. She was studying nursing at university. Annabelle and Jennifer were twins of 20, tall and graceful, with chestnut hair. They were both studying music, and only distinguishable by their different eye colour. Annabelle had blue eyes and Jennifer, brown.