Popcorn the Clown led them out of the office and into the main hall, where a sea of volunteers awaited instruction. Everyone was dressed in bright, loud shirts. Nick spotted Jerry and Bella in the crowd and made his way through the pack.
“I didn’t know you guys were coming,” he said. He shook
Jerry’s hand and offered a cheek peck to Bella. “And miss Cars, the movie?” said Jerry. “Never!”
“Follow the clown, everyone!” bellowed Dr. Wall.
The crowd moved down the hall to the new children’s theater, pushing wheelchairs and beds and herding those on foot as laughter, chatter, and smiles filled the hospital wing. Shelly looked around, smiling, knowing this was what movie night was all about. This theater and the movie, all designed to let everyone—especially the ill children—forget about disease and treatment and concentrate on popcorn and cartoons and fun, if only for a night.
*****
The next night, Nick pulled into the parking area of Shelly’s townhouse just as the sun began to set. The evening was a gorgeous sixty degrees with not a cloud in the sky. Her townhouse was located in a gated community not far from the hospital. Theresa’s grand pinnacle loomed a short distance away. Nick spotted her Volkswagen, which needed a good hose down. Someone had written “For God Sake’s, Wash Me” in the dirt and dust covering the back of the Bug.
As he approached the door, a cat peered at him from an inside window ledge. A cat! he thought. After he had knocked, Shelly answered within seconds, wearing a big bright smile.
“Hi, Nick,” she said, hugging him as he stepped forward. “I heard you pull up.”
“Well, hello there.” He stepped inside the foyer. The cat
remained in the window. “I didn’t think you were a cat person.” “I’m not,” she said. “That’s Petey. One of my patients made me
promise to take care of him.” “Aw, really?”
“Not what it looks like. They’re in Florida for spring break. Taking care of him here is easier than driving across town to their house.”