September 17, 1938
Over the next couple weeks, Mary Ellen and Nancy became very good friends. Together, they witnessed a tragedy the previous day.
"I'll see you on Monday Nancy." Mary Ellen said, giving her roommate a hug.
"See you Mary Ellen, have a great weekend."
"You too."
Jason was there to pick Mary Ellen up.
He gave her a hug. "How was your first couple weeks, Little Sis?"
"They were pretty good." She smiled.
"You excited to come home?"
"Yes, I've missed home cooking so much!"
"Well Honey, let's get you home." He smiled.
When they got home, there was a note on the table that everyone had gone to Ike and Corabeth's for a while. Mary Ellen and Jason decided to walk up to John-Boy and Jenny's.
"Come on in, Jason, Mary Ellen." Jenny smiled. "I just put Jen and John down for a nap. How was your first two weeks, Mary Ellen?"
"Pretty good. One thing went wrong, but other than that, it was wonderful." Mary Ellen half-smiled, tears forming.
Jenny noticed Mary Ellen's tears. "Honey, are you okay?"
"Yes, can I sit down?"
"Of course. Come into the living room." John-Boy led her to the living room and helped her sit down.
"Are you all right?" Jason was very concerned.
"Just tryin' to forget the one bad thing this week."
Jason sat beside her. He handed her the tissue box.
"Maybe if you tell us, it'll be better for you." John-Boy said gently.
"Oh, if I tell you guys, I'll be a bawling mess. I'm right on the verge of tears right now." She paused to swallow the lump in her throat. "But I have to tell someone."
John-Boy sat in his armchair. Jason sat on the couch, on Mary Ellen's right side and Jenny sat on her left.
"I was helping a nurse take care of an 11-year old girl with cancer. Her name is… was Melinda. She had beautiful brown eyes and auburn hair…" Mary Ellen paused, unable to speak over the lump in her throat. She quietly cleared her throat and continued speaking. "She had leukemia. She died holding onto my hand. Melinda looked so much like Elizabeth…" Mary Ellen's throat got another lump, this time she couldn't speak over it. She sighed.
Jenny put an arm around her while Jason held her hand.
Tears streamed down both Mary Ellen's cheeks and her nose began to run. She took the tissue box that Jason offered her and blew her nose.
When she could finally speak again, Mary Ellen continued her story. "I pictured Melinda as Elizabeth." She whispered. Her sides began to shake with sobs. At first, the sobs were quiet but they grew louder and louder.
John-Boy came and knelt in front of her, rubbing her arm.
"I'm sorry…" Mary Ellen began sobbing as more tears fell.
Jason hugged her and held her hand, as did Jenny.
"And so I've had nightmares that Elizabeth's gone!" Mary Ellen sobbed, choking out her words over an ever-growing impossible-to-swallow gooey lump in her throat. "What she died! It's been terrible!"
Jenny herself was in tears too. She got up and went into the kitchen to cry. John-Boy followed her.
Within a couple minutes, Jason got Mary Ellen calmed down.
"Tell you what," he said. "Let's go see everyone."
Mary Ellen nodded. She went into the kitchen, hugged Jenny, then John-Boy. She then told them where they were going.
Mary Ellen and Jason walked home. She saw Elizabeth when they got in the yard. Mary Ellen ran to her and hugged her as she began to sob.
Joy, who was being pushed in the swing by Erin, looked at her. Erin smiled.
Elizabeth began crying too. "I love you Mary Ellen." She said.
Mary Ellen was bawling. "I love you Elizabeth Tyler Walton… so much!"
That night, Mary Ellen explained to her parents her struggles the past two weeks. But she still kept on with nursing. By the second week of December, she had completed her first semester of nursing school.