"Why, Joe," Maggie exclaimed as she bustled about the kitchen preparing breakfast, "You're up early for a Sunday."

Giving her a bear hug and a lingering kiss, I replied, "Well, I thought maybe I'd go to church today for a change." I'm one of those people who usually only goes to church on holidays or special occasions.

Maggie's mouth gaped opened wide, then, collecting herself, she said she was delighted I'd be joining them today. She'd long ago given up trying to get me to come to church with them every Sunday, but I knew she secretly wished that one day I'd start. But she knew better than to tease me or ask questions about why the sudden change of heart.

Becky started running around the kitchen getting under foot, so I scooped her up and took her into the dining room. I asked her to help me set the table, just to keep her busy and out of mischief. Josh was already dressed in his Sunday best when he wandered into the dining room.

Over a light breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, I asked Josh how things had gone the second night of the play.

"It went great, Dad. The cast party at the Johnsons afterwards was lots of fun, too."

"Your grandparents told me they were amazed how realistic the production was, comparing it to the movie and Broadway musical. When they brought Becky home after it was over, they raved on and on about everyone's performance, especially you as the lead, and of course, little Becky."

Josh said, "Gee, I sure wish you could have seen Grandma Jeanne last night. They removed one of the folding chairs from the front row for her and she tooled that wheelchair right into the spot like a pro. What really amazed me, though, was after the play she was clapping to beat the band! She laid her bad hand on her lap and clapped the heck out of it with her good hand. She's really something! I'm so happy she was able to be there."

"That's great! Grandma Jeanne is a very special lady, indeed. By the way, I took some pictures with the digital camera last night, Josh. Maybe after church you can help me figure out how to send them to your grandparents in Florida. I'm still new to all these techie electronic gadgets. As you know, I can barely figure out how to program the VCR."

"Sure, Dad, no problem. It's easy enough and it's really fun once you get the hang of it."

Becky chimed in, "When I'm gonna be on TV, Daddy?"

"Well, sweetheart," I told her, just as soon as we get a copy of the tape from Mr. Johnson. He's a pretty busy man, so it may take him a little time, but . . ."

"Gosh, I'm sorry! I forgot . . . Mr. J. already gave me the tape last night at the party. Said he spent all day yesterday making copies.

"Yay," Becky screeched at the top of her lungs.

Laughing, I said, "Whoa, honey bunch. Cool your jets a little. Tell you what . . . right after church we'll watch you on TV, okay?"

Calming down slightly, she nodded her head and said, "'K, Daddy."

As we finished breakfast, Josh offered to clear the table and do the dishes so the rest of us could get dressed.

Maggie stood, curtseyed and said, "Why, thank you, your Majesty! That is most kind of you."

Josh laughed and told us to "scat," as he started stacking the dishes.

Maggie took Becky in hand while I went to shave. When we were all ready, Maggie phoned her parents upstairs to see if they were all set.

"Think your van can handle all of us?" I asked Dad before we left.

"Sure it can. This thing is like a tank! Best investment I ever made," he replied, as he lowered the wheelchair ramp for Jeanne. This was the first time we had all gone somewhere together in the special van since Dad bought it several months ago, and even with the wheelchair in place, there was still plenty of room for everyone.

We needed to get to church a few minutes early, because Josh is in the choir and had to put on his robe and get in place with the rest.

Josh and I were happy to see that Michael Kelly was the celebrant today. He was also in charge of the Sacred Heart Church's youth group, and all the kids were crazy about him. A little over five feet tall, he was only in his mid-thirties, but he was already sporting a good-sized bald spot. No one paid any attention to his head or his short stature though. His warm, caring manner and marvelous sense of humor overshadowed his physical handicaps.

During the Mass, while the choir was singing, Maggie looked around furtively to see if anyone was gawking at Josh and his shiny bald head. It was hard to tell. We were surprised later in the service to see Josh stand and sing Ave Maria. He hadn't mentioned anything to us about a solo. After the first verse, Amy Johnson stood up and they continued as a duet. It was magnificent singing, and I could tell everyone was spellbound . . . it was so quiet you'd be able to hear a pin drop in the sanctuary.

After Mass, Josh rejoined us and we headed for the door. Father Kelly took one look at Josh and gave a deep bow. In his most serious voice he said, "Your Highness! How very good of you to join us today and honor us with your excellent talent."

Josh cracked up. "Aw, shucks, Father K., twarn't nuthin'."

Father Kelly's voice turned serious as he looked straight into Josh's eyes. "Joshua, I came to the play last night. You have so much God-given talent and we are so blessed to have you."

Joshua blushed and thanked him, then mentioned he was looking forward to the next youth group meeting and the surpise Father Kelly had promised. I could tell by the conversation that Josh was trying to wheedle a little clue as to what it might be.

The priest drew himself up to his full height, such as it was, and replied, "Not a chance, kid. You gotta wait and see. If I tell you, then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

"You're right, Father," Josh sighed. "I'll see you Tuesday night and I'll try to control my curiosity in the meantime."

Once we were all settled in the van, Maggie piped up, "It's such a gorgeous day. Why don't we have a picnic in the back yard?"

We all agreed that a picnic was a terrific idea. Dad drove to the supermarket, and he and I volunteered to get the fixings. The two of us came back to the van with several bags of groceries that we emptied into the storage space behind the back seat.

After we got home, everyone changed into leisure clothes and assembled in the back yard. Dad loved family picnics. Donning his chef's hat and apron, he exclaimed, "Dibs on the grill."

Jeanne invited Becky to hop up on her lap and go for a wheelchair ride. While the two of them scooted around the parking area and driveway, Josh and I brought out the food, and Mom set up the picnic table with a tray of relishes and condiments along with the paper plates and cups.

For a spur of the moment idea, it turned out to be a tasty feast, burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, baked beans, deli potato salad with abundant leftovers. We were almost finished eating, when my pager went off with a squad call. There was a bad accident on Route 44 and Mount Pleasant Road, directly on the corner where the squad building was located.

Dad muttered, "You know, that's one of the reasons we put that building there. It's always been a bad spot. People seem to ignore that traffic light and wham!"

I was trying to decide whether to respond when I heard the first police officer on the scene immediately request the second ambulance. That cinched it . . . off I went, with Joshua in hot pursuit.

It was a doozy of a wreck. Two cars and a church van, with a total of fourteen people involved, and most of them injured to some extent.

One of the things I found extremely hard as captain of the squad was not to jump right in and start helping the injured. Instead, my job was to scan the scene for injuries and monitor the squad members who had responded to the call. I immediately recognized that Merriwether's two rigs wouldn't be able to handle the load, so I called police headquarters on my portable radio and requested three more ambulances from neighboring towns. Then I made another call to seek other squad members who might be available. Because a couple of the injured people were in pretty bad shape, I also requested a paramedic unit. I assigned those present to selected victims, taking into account each member's skills and abilities, then I started working on a man who seemed to be the most seriously injured.

In spite of the chaos, it didn't take that long to get the injured patched up to the best of our ability and on the way to the hospital. Fortunately, the three neighboring rigs and the paramedics had arrived very quickly.

Josh ended up riding to the hospital in the Fairfax rig, while I stayed with my patient in one of Merriwether's rigs.

After all the patients were taken to the emergency room at St. Francis, I pulled aside the drivers of the two Merriwether ambulances.

"Listen, guys, we've got a bit of a problem at our house and I wonder if you'd mind helping us out for a couple hours."

They both agreed first, then asked what the problem was.

"Well, we had a big family picnic in our back yard right after church, and now we've got a ton of leftovers. I honestly don't know if we can fit it all that food in the fridge, so I thought maybe you guys would like to help us out by chomping on a few dogs and burgers . . ."

They laughed and said they'd be delighted to help. After stopping back at the scene of the accident to get my van, I suggested the duty crew bring their rig, and everyone else take their cars.

Dad was delighted when Josh and I returned with five extra squad members in tow. He warmed the food on the grill and everyone had a grand time eating and swapping squad call stories.

After they left, we all sat down and watched the tape Mr. Johnson made for us. Becky was in her glory, proclaiming herself as the next Shirley Temple. Josh showed me how to work the digital camera, and I was relieved it really was pretty easy just like he'd said.

Before I went to bed, I reflected on the day's activities. Despite the accident, it had been a fun day, and I decided from now on I'd make it a habit to attend church every Sunday.








Continue to Chapter 8


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