That evening, while he sat in bed, he worked his way through the papers, knowing Troy was coming back the next day to deliver them to his class.As he finished each paper, he slid it into the outer section. Halfway through the stack, the papers no longer fit. He pulled them out and shoved his hand into the briefcase.
“What’s this?”He pulled out his letter to Cecelia. “No wonder I never heard from her.” The envelope was wrinkled, but still readable.
A nurse came into his room and wagged her finger at him as she pointed to the time.
“Could you put this in the mail slot for me? It’s important.”
“I’ll do that.” She took the letter from him. “It’s lights out, Professor Dunbar. You’ve been a bad patient today. What am I going to do with you—when you keep staying up so late?”
He raised his eyebrows and grinned. “You wouldn’t have it any other way. What else would you have to complain about?”
She laughed and flipped off the lights before he could comment further.
Four days after what Marcus was now calling the “Fight at the BE Corral”—for Buckley English department—Cecelia walked into his room again with several books in her arms. She pulled up a chair next to his bed and sat on it, waiting for him to get off the phone with his brother.
“Gotta go, Mike. One of my best girls just walked in.” He put down the phone and looked at Cecelia. “Where’s your mother? And, how’d you get past those nurses who say you’re too young to come in here and pester me?”
“She’s talking to them. Mom said to just walk right in, and that’s what I did.” She beamed. “I brought lots more books for you to read when I’m in school. If you read them, you’ll feel better. It’s what I did when I was here. Remember?”
“Aren’t you the expert on getting well.Okay. Show them to me.”
“They are all the ones you know—except for this one, but Mom said you would like it. It won an award—see the sticker? It says ‘Newberry Award.’” Cecelia handed him the titles one at a time, all by Marguerite Henry, except for the last one.
“Hmm. Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell.That is a great book! I read it a few years ago, when I was a kid.Do you think I’ll like reading it again, now that I’m all grown up?” he asked.
She nodded, her pigtails bouncing. “I’m sure of it. Now, which one should we read today?”
“How about we continue with King of the Wind? We were just getting to the good part when your mom said you had to go home.”
She pursed her lips and looked at him for a moment. “I was hoping you would pick that one. You go first.”
He opened the book and began reading to Cecelia, who climbed onto the bed and was leaning against his knees when Amanda entered the room.
“Are you supposed to be on the bed instead of next to it, Cece?”
“She’s just fine—keeps my legs warm. Stay right where you are, Cecelia.” He winked at Amanda.
She smiled back at him. “I thought I’d let you know that your chairman has good news for you.”
“What’s that?”
“Your publisher—of the Ernie Pyle masterpiece—has accepted the book in its entirety. No revisions necessary. Congratulations!” She leaned toward him and deposited a kiss on his forehead, then his lips.
He grinned at her. “I just remembered. I was going to tell you I got a request for a short piece on ol’ Ernie—from one of the magazines I approached. That’s what I called you about before—” he looked in Cecelia’s direction “—before the recent unpleasantness at your office. But what I’d really like to hear is when I can go home. I’m tired of this place. The food’s boring and the nurses are tired of playing games with me. They make me go to bed before nine o’clock.”
“Even if you’re good?” Cecelia asked, her blue eyes wide as she looked at him.
“I’m always good, Cecelia! You know that.” He smirked in her direction. “Besides, don’t you have a soccer game coming up? How can I cheer for your team if I’m stuck in this old bed?”
The doctor walked in. “If you promise not to try running a marathon for at least two months, I’ll let you go later this week. You lost a lot of blood. We don’t want you losing any more. And I’ve ordered a visiting nurse for you.”
“When can I go back to work? I have students to see.”
“ How about the week after you go home, assuming the nurse tells me you’re following orders? I suggest you sit down while you lecture. No dramatics in front of the class. You’re going to be pretty sore if you try to do too much walking. And you’re going to find that you tire quickly. Your body needs time to heal. But you can grade all the papers you want and hold seminars—that sort of thing—sitting down most of the time. Just nothing strenuous.”