those inside the walls of a place no one wanted to come to.
By the time Joseph and Dr. Whitman arrived in the conference room, it was a sight to behold. Dr. Whitman stood in the doorway, his mouth open, his eyes wide. He’d seen the Anderson family many times at several events, but never in such a small space. At the Anderson mansion it wasn’t quite so overwhelming.
Joseph rushed forward, a smile on his lips. He loved his family — couldn’t imagine losing a single member in it. He’d been blessed beyond measure that, so far in life, he hadn’t had to suffer the loss of any of them before their time. Yes, there had been loss, and yes they’d grieved, but so far they’d been blessed beyond what anyone could hope.
“Good morning, my lovely family,” Joseph said, his voice booming through the room.
The kids squealed as several rushed forward, hugging his legs. He patted each one on the head as a chorus of greetings flew his way.
“Katherine is doing beautifully. Her color is perfect, her stats are better than we could’ve hoped for, and we’re all set to wake her in exactly one hour. It’ll take a while before she can have visitors, and she might be confused for a bit, so we need to have patience, but this means she gets to come home soon, and when she does, she’ll be expecting a lot of visitors,” he said, tears in his eyes, a wobbly smile on his lips.
He looked at the kids who jumped up and down in excitement to spend time with their grandpa and grandma, or their aunt and uncle.
“Now, let’s all quiet down and listen to the good doctor who’s been more than wonderful with my sweet Katherine,” Joseph commanded. The room instantly quieted.
Dr. Whitman nodded as he stepped forward and began speaking. “Good morning. This is quite the crowd,” he began. A chuckle filled the room before they quieted back down. “To add to what Joseph was saying, Katherine will be quite groggy and maybe a bit forgetful. Don’t take it personally, and don’t call it out. Give her time. This has been traumatic for her. We’ll play it hour by hour on how she’s doing, and if and when she can have visitors. We all know we can’t keep Joseph out of there, so the rest of you will just have to be patient.”
There were a few disappointed murmurs, and Dr. Whitman smiled as he held up a hand.
“Now, now, I get enough of that from Joseph,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “I honestly don’t see many issues. Her stats are great, and she’s ready to come back to the real world. Besides,” he said with a wink at the group who knew Joseph so well, “I need to get this man out of the hospital so my staff won’t be terrified and quit on me, and so I can have my own coffee. Every time someone brings me a cup, it’s gone before I can reach for it. Joseph has built in radar for when a hot cup is delivered.”
Chuckles accompanied his words as knowing nods were seen throughout the room. They all did know Joseph well, and that sounded exactly like him.
“I’m afraid to ask, but are there any questions?” Joseph asked when it was clear Dr. Whitman was finished speaking.
Most of the family shook their heads. There were a lot of questions, but they knew Joseph had been bogged down with enough already.
Wyatt stepped forward and tugged on Joseph’s leg. “Grandpa?” he questioned.
Joseph knelt. “What is it, Wyatt?”
The room was quiet as one of the younger of their family members looked up at Joseph with wide eyes. Technically Wyatt was his great nephew, but all of the kids called Joseph Grandpa, and he loved it. There was no difference in his mind how his family members were related. They were just flat out his family, and he was grateful for every one of them and every minute they had together.
“Can you give this to Grandma? I miss her kisses and cookies. I want her to feel better. Make sure she knows I gave it to her. I wrote on the teddy bear myself. And she really needs this.”
Joseph’s smile overtook his cheeks as Wyatt handed him a balloon, a teddy bear with Wyatt loves you written on it, and a can of silly string.
“Is that so she can shoot Grandpa?” he asked as he hugged his grandson.
“Yep,” Wyatt said with