April 24, 1940
The women went back into Elizabeth's room. John called Olivia over to look at the girls' project.
"Does Elizabeth Walton live here?" came a familiar voice.
Ben's face peaked around the corner. "I brought you some flowers."
John and Olivia were quiet. Neither of them liked the idea of their son trying to "buy" Elizabeth's forgiveness.
Elizabeth broke the silence. "They're real nice Ben." She smiled.
That evening at supper, the kitchen was chaos. Joy kept wanting Erin to look at the pictures she was coloring. Everyone kept getting in each other's way. Jason sat at the piano playing music. He felt kind of bad for laughing when everyone else was getting annoyed with each other. But he had a great view of the action!
"I don't know how Mama does it." Erin told her father.
"She's had more experience at this than you Honey." John smiled. At his daughter. "You're doing fine."
"Well I'll sure be glad when she and Elizabeth can come home."
"I reckon we all will."
Jim Bob came in the back door. He grabbed a bun and spread butter on it.
"We're gonna be eating in a minute, Son." John said.
"I'm not eating with the family."
"Come on Jim Bob, we're missing enough people at the table as it is." Grandpa replied.
John was gentle but firm. "You're gonna have to change your ways, Son, real quick."
Jim Bob protested. "If I eat down here, I get picked on."
"You've been feeling sorry for yourself ever since the accident. Frankly, we've had enough of it."
"I don't feel sorry for myself. I'm just tired of everyone looking at me like I was a criminal."
"Well sit down and no one will look at you, all right?"
Jim Bob reluctantly sat down.
Jason stood up from the piano bench and sat next to his brother. "You know it seems to me you're thinking a lot more about yourself than you are Elizabeth. Everyone has been down there to see her but you."
"I couldn't stand to see her with her legs broken."
"You see, you're thinking of yourself again." Erin said.
Jason nodded.
"She's been asking about you." John added. "She's wondering why you haven't come to see her."
"Jim Bob's weird." Ben made a totally uncalled for comment.
"Says the one who keeps trying to buy her forgiveness." Replied Erin.
"What do you mean?" Ben asked.
"Giving her money, buying her flowers. It's like you're trying to buy her forgiveness."
"That's not what I'm trying to do. I'm buying her things to please her and make her happy. She liked those flowers, didn't she?"
A knock at the door interrupted the conversation.
John went to the door.
"Hi John," Mrs. Fordwick greeted the man.
"Rosemary, come in. Can we offer you some supper?"
"Thank you, but Matthew will be getting home soon and we were going to eat together. I stopped by to leave some clay and construction paper for Elizabeth's school project. I'm sure someone from your family will be seeing her."
"At least one person is over there about every day." John smiled.
"I'll take it to her." Jim Bob offered.
Mrs. Fordwick smiled. "Thank you Jim Bob. I appreciate it. Well, I'd better get back home. Thank you."
"Goodnight Rosemary." John said. He shut the door.
John smiled and looked his son's way.
"I'll see her tonight." Jim Bob said.
On their way to town, Jim Bob decided to stop by the general store. Grandpa waited in the car.
Jim Bob walked into the store, not seeing anyone in the front of the store. "Ike? Corabeth?"
Corabeth came from the house part of the building. "I thought I heard the door. We were having a little late supper because I went to visit Elizabeth this afternoon."
"That's where I'm going now." Jim Bob replied. "I thought I'd pick up something to take her."
"It was just almost more than I could bear to see that child lying there in the hospital."
"It was pretty bad, I guess."
"You'd like to give her something."
Jim Bob nodded.
"Well she was always very fond of chocolate-covered cherries."
"I'll take a box of those."
Corabeth nodded and went to grab a box of the candy. "How fortunate we are to be able to rise from our bed in the morning." She handed the box to the teenager.
Jim Bob paid his cousin. "Thanks Corabeth."
Grandpa honked the horn on Jim Bob's car.
Jim Bob exited the store and went to his car. "Grandpa, I don't know if I can go."
"Nonsense. To see your own sister? It'll do her a world of good. She'll expect to see you. Come on, get in. Those hospital hours are over at 8:30. And with that bunch there, they won't let you stay a minute longer."
Jim Bob handed the candy box to his grandfather. He started the car.
"Oh, you got some cherry chocolates. I wish you would've gotten me one extra." Grandpa chuckled.
At the hospital, Olivia and Elizabeth were playing Chinese Checkers.
"One thing's for sure," Elizabeth said. "When I go home, I'm gonna know how to play Chinese Checkers."
Olivia smiled. "You may just be the world's champion."
Grandpa came into the room. He smiled. "There you are!"
He ran to hug his granddaughter.
"Grandpa!" she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Elizabeth!" he kissed her forehead. "Every time I see you, you look prettier and spunkier."
Olivia smiled. "I know a girl who misses her grandpa."
"Grandpa, the reason I like you to visit me is you smell like home."
"Do I now?" Zeb smiled. "Well, I didn't bring Myrtle with me, but look who I did bring."
"Jim Bob!" Elizabeth saw her brother standing in the doorway.
"Well don't just stand in the doorway, come on in." Olivia smiled.
Jim Bob slowly sauntered in. "Hi Elizabeth, how do you feel?"
"You can tell she feels better particularly since she got her legs out of the air and free from those pulleys and ropes." Zeb replied.
"I was getting so mad at you. All this time I've been in the hospital and you've never even came to see me." Elizabeth chastised her brother.
"Elizabeth, I'm sorry about your accident. I didn't mean for anything to happen. I just…" Jim Bob didn't know what to say next. "Here." He placed the box of chocolates on Elizabeth's bedside table and left the room.
"Jim Bob, come back here. Jim Bob." Olivia called after her son.
"That boy just can't get over blaming himself. I've never seen him like that before." Said Zeb.
"Grandpa, I want you to talk to that boy." Olivia instructed her father-in-law.
Elizabeth shook her head. "I have such strange brothers. Did you see what Ben brought me?"
"Ben must have bought out half the flower shops in the county!" Grandpa laughed.
Olivia shook her head and chuckled. "Elizabeth, tell Grandpa the good news."
"In the morning, Curt's gonna come and take off my casts and X-ray my legs. I may just be able to come home."
Grandpa squeezed Elizabeth's hand. "Well that is the best news I have ever heard!" He kissed Elizabeth's hand.