Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 12:01:34 +0200 From: Harry Anders Subject: Little Harry-16 Chapter 16. The clinic, and little Harry gets his new face. The remainder of the month was filled with joyful events. BJ went to the hospital and was back home within two days. The doctors detected that his cancer was already retreating, due to his changed mood and to his will to survive. He had to swallow a couple of pills every day, and had to visit the hospital once a week for some tests. His pains had already subdued, and he enjoyed the company and the love of his three sons, who now really adored him. He had certainly changed a lot! Jason and Carl were inseparable, always in each other's company, sleeping together, marveling in each other's love. They visited us as often as possible, and told us everything, with the exception of their private things, of course. They had changed quite a lot, too. Now every child in the neighborhood liked them. Nicky lived in two houses: he had his own home, and his second home was here. Little Harry and he were best friends, always up to something daring or naughty, but never crossing the boundaries too much. Everybody liked them. Jason and Carl seemed to have adopted them as their children, and often took them to fun places. John lived in three houses. Davey and he were often together, constructing technical inventions out of nearly nothing, driving Mary or Trudy (or me) to despair. Eventually they claimed my garage and built a solid workbench. They gathered a lot of equipment and boxes full of electronics junk, and seemingly had lots of fun together. Now and then the electric lights blew out and I had to replace the fuses, but who cares. Now I had lots of time to work on my book 'Little Harry'. The boys called my computer my 'girl friend' because I spent so many hours in front of her 'boobs', as they called the fat and ugly loudspeakers that came with the mouse and the keyboard and now adorned my desk. I just laughed... Eventually the big day approached. Little Harry had to visit the transplant clinic, to undergo his major surgery. We unanimously decided that nobody else would accompany us. I would keep everybody updated by phone as soon as I had any news. I planned to spend the first night in the clinic, together with my son. He would be helped early in the morning, but after his surgery he would be sedated for about a week, to avoid too much movement and, of course, too much pain. Immediately after his surgery I would go home, but when he woke up I would be in the clinic again, to spend a few days with him. Within three weeks he would be back home, as a new-born boy. That evening little Harry was worried and nervous. He couldn't sit still for a moment. We packed his belongings into a big trunk, and he checked them over and over again. He hopped onto my lap, he hopped off my lap and went outside to look after his herbs, he went into his room to check whether he really hadn't forgotten anything important, he again checked the trunk, he hopped onto my lap again. Finally, we decided to call it a day. "Sorry dad, but I am too nervous. I don't want to be a nuisance, but I just can't help it." "I know son, and it's quite normal that you are nervous. Tomorrow is your big day, and within three weeks you will be back home with a new face and a nice body." "I know dad, and I AM happy with everything, but it's just the tension. I think I'm too young to control myself..." I laughed, ruffled his hair, lifted him, and put him onto my shoulders. Together we ascended the stairs and went under the shower. We washed each other and went to our waterbed. Little Harry curled up in my arms, trying to disappear into me. I just held him and tried to send him as much love as I could. Slowly we drifted off into a deep sleep. Early in the morning the alarm clock woke us up. We showered and dressed together, now both of us tense and nervous. I put him onto my shoulders and took him with me to the kitchen, where he created one of his wonderful breakfast specials. John waited outside the door, to wish his little brother all the best. Nicky and Davey waited in front of our golden van, with big smiles on their faces, holding a box filled with small presents from everybody, including BJ, Jason, and Carl. Little Harry thanked them with tears in his eyes. He promised to write them as soon as he was able after his surgery. I started the motor and we drove off, escorted to the end of the block by the children. Jason and Carl suddenly showed up, enthusiastically waving at us. We were on our way to the clinic. Little Harry climbed into the back of the van and shoved two seats together, putting them into a sleeping position. He got a blanket from the back, smiled at me, curled up, and was asleep within a few minutes, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Now and then I looked at my little soul mate, now softly snoring, and my heart jumped with joy. I LOVED that boy, and I really hoped everything would work out for the best, and the 'face doctors' would give my precious little boy a natural looking face... Suddenly I felt Jack around. He sent me his love and his gratitude. I heard his voice somewhere in my head. "Don't worry. You did spend everything you have on him, and now both of you will be royally rewarded. I will be with him, together with a couple of our friends, and we will help our little soul mate, brother, son, and best friend. God bless you, my brother." Furtively, I dried my eyes and thanked Jack in my mind, but he was gone already. Or was this all my own fantasy? I wasn't really sure... After two hours we entered the town, and little Harry opened his eyes. He yawned deeply and stretched himself out as far as he could, with a big smile on his face. "Jack was in my dream, dad, together with a couple of his spirit friends. He told me not to worry; he will be with me during my surgery and help me with everything." I smiled at him and parked the car in the same place as before. Together we entered the clinic where we were enthusiastically greeted by our 'face doctor'. "You may use one of those small carts over there, to bring your belongings inside. One of our nurses will wait for you at the entrance, and show you the room that will be yours for the next three weeks. I advise you to go to a restaurant and eat something substantial, because that's the last time our little friend is allowed to eat before his surgery tomorrow." We took a cart and loaded Harry's trunk, my traveling bag, and the box with presents from the boys. A nurse accompanied us to a cozy room with a beautiful view of the park. I helped my nervous son unpack his belongings into a small closet. I put my traveling bag under one of the beds, and we went to the restaurant to have early dinner. Little Harry studied the menu with a frown. "Don't they have gypsy food here? I can't find any..." "I don't think so. Gypsies are not really known over here." "That's a shame. I want to taste home today. I always try to realize the taste of home with my herbs, but something lacks, and I don't know what. The nearest taste was that Chinese green snot. That's why I liked it so much..." Suddenly he got tears in his eyes and shivered. "I'm scared dad. I know there's nothing to be afraid of, but I can't help it. It's like I am going to die tomorrow, and I don't want to die. Can we go home, please? I don't want surgery, I want to be a normal boy and play outside with my friends. I'm so scared..." "Come here son! Sit on my lap and listen." Hesitantly my scared little boy approached me, and I took him into my arms. He started to sob. I caressed his back for a while, and offered him my handkerchief. "We all have things in our life that we don't like. But there are two sorts of things. We have the things we can change, and we have the things we can't change. The things we can change are the things we can choose. The things we can't change are the things we just have to accept. I know it's difficult, but we have to accept the fact that we are who we are. That makes us a unique being. You can't change who you are, but you can always better yourself. And the best thing to do for this moment to better yourself, is to do something about your appearance. That's why we are here today. Does that make sense?" "You always make me feel good dad. I love you! I know you are right. I have to do this. I will return to my folks with a normal looking face. Sometimes I forget who I am, and then I am just a scared little boy. I would like to taste that roast beef with mixed vegetables today." I started to laugh, and we ordered the roast beef for both of us. We pretended it tasted like the gypsy food little Harry loved most: wild rabbit, roasted over an open fire. After a while my brave little boy started to beam again, and he hopped off my lap to his own chair. "Now I am myself, dad. Thank you for telling me that I can't change what I am. I can only better myself, and that's what I am going to do. After my surgery I want to study, to prepare myself for my task. I want to be a lawyer, to be able to help my folks when the time is right. Will you help me with my studies?" I looked at him with pride and ruffled his hair. He looked back with love and trust in his eyes. Again we understood each other without words. We finished our meal in silence, and ordered ice sorbets, followed by hot chocolate milk for my boy, and coffee for me. We went to the park and walked around, hand in hand, filling the time by talking about nothing special, until we had to go back to the clinic. The nurse took us with her to little Harry's room, where he had to undress to undergo his last checkup. She drew some blood from a vein in his arm and measured his blood pressure. The 'face doctor' entered the room and carefully looked him over, from top to toe. He sat down on one of the chairs, while little Harry changed into a bright blue gown. "You know what we are going to do tomorrow? First we will take a small piece of bone from one of your lower ribs, and model that into a nice nose. Then we will remove all old scars and wild flesh. We cultivated your skin, and we will use that to cover the wounds. We will keep you asleep for about a week, so you can heal properly without moving and without feeling pain. After a week we will wake you up while your father is here to assist you. At first your face will look puffy and bruised, but within two weeks the bruises will be gone and you will be a new-born boy. Tonight we will give you a sedative to sleep well; and early in the morning we will start with the surgery. Now you may ask me everything you want..." "Will my father be with me during the surgery? I want him to stay with me all the time, because I am too scared to be left alone..." "Your father will be with you while we put you asleep. He will be home during the time you are sleeping, but he will return before you wake up. You will probably think he never was away. Three weeks after the surgery he will take you home, and within two months you will look just like every other boy of your age." "What are we going to do now? Why did I have to dress into this gown? "We would like to take some pictures of your old body, and we will put you through our MRI scanner to be able to look at your insides. The nurse will shower you very thoroughly, and she will rub your body with a disinfecting ointment. A sedative will calm you down for the rest of the evening. Your father will stay with you all the time." Little Harry nodded, and the nurse took us with her. A photographer took a lot of pictures of his scars. Another doctor put him through the MRI scanner, and listened to his chest and to his heart. The nurse offered him a pill and a glass with only one swig of water. She asked him not to eat or drink during the rest of the day, because his stomach had to be empty tomorrow. Together we put him under the shower and we washed him thoroughly and everywhere. In the meantime he started to yawn. The nurse rubbed a brown disinfectant all over his body, and together we put him to bed. He smiled, threw his arms around my neck, and was gone before he could say a word. I kissed his forehead and silently we left the room. I went to the restaurant, but I wasn't hungry. I forced myself to eat something and to drink a cup of coffee. I went outside and walked a long time through the small park, contemplating about my life and about all the special things that happened to me and to my little boy. After a while I went back to my boy's room. I looked at his distorted face for a long time. Today would be the last day I saw his old face with all the scars. He slept so peacefully, softly snoring and with a happy smile on his crippled face... I undressed slowly and went into the other bed, afraid to wake him up. Ten minutes later I was asleep. I woke up, looking into a pair of sleepy deep blue eyes, hovering above me. "Hi dad, I couldn't sleep and crawled into your bed, but I am still groggy..." I took him into my arms and together we drifted off, until a knock on the door woke us up. "May I come in please?" "Just a moment, until at least I am decent..." I dressed in a hurry, and the nurse entered the room. She smiled at little Harry, who prudishly covered himself with the blankets. "Hi sleepyhead, are you coming with me? Today we will model you into a new boy." Little Harry had to shower again, and again the nurse applied the brown disinfectant all over his body. She wrapped him into a green gown, and we went to the operating room, where a couple of doctors and assistants waited for us. "Hello my friend. Today is your big day! Please climb onto this stretcher." Harry climbed onto the stretcher, still yawning, and smiled at me with a sleepy face. A nurse put a small cap around his mouth and nose, he sighed a few times, and he was gone. Slowly I left the room, hoping everything would go well. Now it was up to our 'face doctors'... Slowly I returned to our room to get my traveling bag. I fished a piece of paper out of my bag, and drew a smiley face around the words 'I LOVE YOU'. I pinned it on the opposite wall where he could easily see it, in case he should wake up early. With tears in my eyes I went to our golden van, ready to go home. Two hours later I parked the van in our driveway. I went straight to our answering machine, but fortunately nobody had phoned, so everything was well with my boy. I phoned the clinic, where the receptionist asked me to wait for a moment. After two minutes she told me that little Harry's surgery went extremely well, and there were no complications. One surgeon was busy modeling his new nose, while another surgeon was freeing his chest from all wild flesh. She would call me back as soon as she had more news. The doorbell rang and John, Davey, and Nicky stormed into the room. "How's Harry? Did they already give him his new face?" I calmed them down, and told them everything that happened. Suddenly my stomach started to rumble. "I didn't eat this morning and now I'm hungry. Who will get me something to eat?" John and Davey disappeared into the kitchen, while Nicky climbed onto my lap. "I hope Harry will be home soon, because I miss him. He is my best friend, and I've made a special package for him in our box with presents. I hope he will like it." I ruffled his hair, and he offered me a wet kiss. "I love you! You are the best pop in the whole world." John and Davey returned with a big pile of sandwiches, a cup of coffee and three glasses of orange juice. We went to the porch and enjoyed our simple meal. John had even fetched some herbs from the back yard to spice the sandwiches. After a while John and Davey went indoors to play a game on the computer, while Nicky hesitantly looked at me. "Pop? How do you know when you are in love with somebody?" "Well... that's not an easy question. Why do you want to know?" "I've thought about that. It's clear that Jason and Carl are in love, because they want to be together for the rest of their lives. John and Davey also want to be together, but I don't know whether they are in love, or whether they are just friends. I do love you a lot, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life, but I don't think I'm in love with you. I do love my friend Harry too, but now I am confused. Do I love Harry as my best friend, or am I IN love with Harry?" "Why is that important to you?" "Well... when I love Harry, I am normal. But when I am IN love with Harry, I am a homo. I don't want to be a homo, but I DO love Harry..." "I do love Harry too, AND in a certain way I am in love with my son. Does that make me a 'homo', or am I a 'normal' person?" Nicky frowned and thought for a while. "Now that I've asked you my questions, I think it doesn't really matter..." "I think you are right. It doesn't matter what other people think of you. Just be yourself, and be happy with yourself." "Thank you pop, suddenly I feel much better about myself." The phone rang, and I hurried inside. "Harry Anders here. Who's speaking?" "I have unbelievable news about your son! Everything is going so much better than we expected! We don't understand why, but there's nearly no bleeding at all. Normally, wild flesh is difficult to remove, because of so many veins that could cause severe bleedings, but your son seems to instruct his own body to close the veins during the surgery. I've never seen that before. It's wonderful! The surgery was planned over the whole day, but I think now we will be ready within the next hour. I just had to tell you. I'm going back to the operating room, and I will phone you again as soon as we are ready." For a moment I was speechless... "Thank you very much for calling, I really appreciate that." Suddenly I heard Jack's voice in my head: "I told you we would be there to help him!" Or did I make that up in my mind? I told the boys the good news, and they cheered and danced around the room, high-fiving each other and me. Fifty minutes later, the phone rang again. The doctors had finished the surgery, and little Harry was brought to his room. There he would spend at least a week in a deep sleep, until his operation wounds had healed sufficiently and the pain was gone. They would wake him up after a week, while I was with him in the clinic... I slumped down on the couch and started to cry, immediately surrounded by my three little friends. I released all tension in my tears, and I could feel Jack pushing me to let myself go. "Don't bottle it up! In a few minutes you will feel better..." I cried until at last I was totally exhausted, but I felt happier than ever. I hugged my little friends, and thanked Jack in my mind. A heavy burden was taken from my shoulders. Suddenly I started to laugh about the comical situation. I, a grown-up therapist, had to be comforted by three children, who nearly buried me under a wagon load of tissues. We decided in unison to visit a big playground. There we built a fort out of wooden boards, we rammed each other in small electric cars, we fished for small knickknacks, and we enjoyed every moment. Exhausted but satisfied we went home, on the way eating lots of delicious fatting junk food and drinking carbonated colored sugar water. Each of us wrote little Harry a postcard with our best wishes. Singing along with the music of our car radio we went home, promising each other to repeat this day when little Harry was home again. The days passed by rather uneventfully. The boys visited me nearly every day, and now and then they spent the night at my house. Five days later, halfway through the evening, suddenly the phone rang. The clinic receptionist put me through to our 'face doctor', who told me he had performed a couple of tests on little Harry. He was astonished by the healing progress, and he thought our little friend would be ready to wake up the next morning... The boys begged me to take them with me, but I explained to them that little Harry would be very groggy, and he would probably be attached to a couple of machines. Fortunately they understood why they had to stay home. Together they drew a nice picture of three boys, waiting for their missing fourth friend. The next morning I went to the clinic, to spend a couple of days there with my son. The nurse accompanied me to little Harry's room, where a white and silent mummy was attached to all sorts of equipment. I nearly fainted. In a flash I saw myself back, visiting my little burnt brother Joshie in the hospital... I sat down and shivered, while the nurse offered me a glass of water. The doctor entered the room, and in a few words I told them my story, so they would understand why I collapsed. After a moment I went to the bed, where my little soul mate was wrapped in white bandages. The doctor told me he would unwrap our little friend and clean him up first. That way I could get used to his new scars before he woke up. I nodded and carefully helped unwrap him. Soon I could see his bruised and puffed face, with swollen eyes and a big red and blue nose. Now I understood why the doctor wanted me to see him first, before he woke up... We unwrapped the rest of his body, and for the first time I could see the wonderful job the surgeons had done. Gone were all the colored stripes and scars. Under the bruises I could clearly see that he had a nice smooth skin on his body. Even his little pecker looked bruised but normal, with a thin tube in it to drain his urine. The nurse wrapped him in a green gown and I took him into my arms, with his limbs dangling along his sides and his head nodding against my chest. The nurse removed the intravenous needle, thus stopping the sedation. She administered a small injection into his left arm, and after a few moments his eyes started to blink and he tried to move. "Easy son, I am here. Slowly, just let it go. Don't try to move, just wake up very slowly. I will help you." His swollen eyes opened and he squinted at me. He tried to talk, but no sound came out, and I could feel his frustration. "Shush, don't talk, just give yourself some time. Everything is well now. Just wake up, and don't try to do anything." He nodded trustfully, and I could feel him relax in my arms. Suddenly he coughed and spit out some slimy fluid into a cup the nurse held to his mouth. "Do... cough... do I have... cough... my new face now?" "Yes son, you have your new face now. But take it easy, you have to recover first." Again he nodded, closed his swollen eyes, and fell back into my arms with a content smile on his puffy face. We waited until he was more alert and asked for water. A smile appeared on the doctor's face. "That's a good sign. You might let him drink half a glass of water. I will also order some fluid that's easy to digest. He will be very tired for a couple of days, and he needs a lot of sleep and rest. Tomorrow we will perform a couple of tests to check everything. So far he has been marvelous." After a while the nurse brought us a tray with porridge and a glass of mineral water. She helped him to sit upright, but that seemed to cause him a little discomfort. He tried to eat the porridge with a spoon, but his arms started to hurt. I took the spoon and helped him with his eating. He grinned. "Dad, now I'm really a baby, and today you have to pamper me. I feel very tired, and my body feels bruised everywhere. Do you have a mirror?" "Do you really want to look at your face now? It's rather puffy and bruised. I think it would be better if you waited another couple of days." "I know how it is dad, from my surgeries in the past. Please can I have a look? I promise I will not be shocked." Hesitantly, I handed him a small mirror. He studied his face for a long time, and seemed to be more and more happy with what he saw. "The face doctor did a wonderful job dad... I have a normal nose now, and I can see at the base how small it will be within a few weeks. It's a very nice nose, just as the doctor promised. My lips are normal too, just a little bit too swollen now, but that will go away. I am really happy with my new face. Thank you, thank you very much!" He started to sob, and I held him close, careful not to hurt his bruises. After a while he felt tired and wanted to sleep. I took the gown off and put him to bed. Within a few seconds he was gone, with a content smile on his face. I watched him a long time, grateful for my beautiful son with his restored face. That first day we didn't do much, but the next day they brought us a television set and lots of books to read. The tests turned out to be far better than expected, and his body healed nicely. After a week his face was less puffy, and his lips and nose started to shrink. The doctor decided to let him go home, a week earlier than he had originally planned. "Never in my life have I seen a small boy heal so fast! It's a medical miracle..." The next morning we went home. Little Harry was carefully smeared with a balm to protect the new skin. He received a bottle of pills to relieve the pain and the itching, and he was allowed to take one whenever he felt he needed it, with a maximum of six pills a day. He embraced the face doctor and all the nurses, and promised to phone them from time to time. I prepared the front seat, with a pillow beneath and a pillow in the back, so that he could see the surroundings without craning his neck too much. After an hour little Harry was too stiff and had to move around for a while to loosen up. We stopped at a small roadside restaurant. We wandered around for a while until his muscles relaxed, and finally we sat down at a table to have a drink. Nobody paid attention to us. "They don't even look at me dad. Nobody seems to see my new face..." "Be glad son. That proves you have a normal face now, just like any other boy." "It's a strange feeling. I think I'm too used to people looking at me..." I smiled and was proud of my new normal son. After a while we drove home. I parked the van in the driveway, and little Harry looked around. "Where IS everybody? Don't they know I'm home today?" "You are a week early, remember? Nobody expects you to be home now." "Oh yeah, you are right. We forgot to phone them..." He looked disappointed and left the van. We entered our house, and little Harry rushed to the living room to phone his friends. But nobody answered... Suddenly the doorbell rang. Little Harry stormed to the front door, with a look of relief in his eyes. He opened the door... "Hello dad! Glad to see you home again. Any news about Harry? ... Hi, I am John. And who are you?" Little Harry looked totally perplexed, and for the first time in his life he searched for words. "Wha... what... why... you don't know who I am? You really don't recognize me?" "Huh? You... but... That's impossible. You are HARRY?" "Yes, of course I'm Harry. Who else did you expect?" "Wow... I didn't recognize you! I still don't... I can hear it's your voice, but you look totally different!" They fell into each others arms, where they both started to cry. After a while, and after a lot of ooh's, aah's, and hugs, we went to the living room. The doorbell rang again, and John went to the front door, with a wink at little Harry. "Don't say a word! Let's see who will recognize you..." He returned with a chattering Davey, wondering why our van was in the driveway. "Hi dad, glad that you are back! How's Harry, and when is he coming home? We all miss him..." He looked at little Harry without a sign of recognition. "Hello, I am Davey..." Harry couldn't keep a straight face and started to laugh. "Yes, I know..." "How do you know my name? I don't think I saw you before..." Suddenly Davey stared at that strange boy... "You are HARRY?" Without words they high-fived each other and danced around the room. The doorbell rang again, and John went to the front door. He returned with Nicky, who was wondering why my van was in the driveway. Nicky froze and stared at little Harry with a look of unbelief in his eyes. Slowly he approached him and looked him over from top to toe. He touched his face... "You ARE my friend Harry! I never thought you would look soo good! Wow, your face looks much better now, even better than with your mask. Come on, let's play a game on the computer. I really missed you!" They threw their arms around each other and tried to wriggle into the same chair. "Ouch! That hurts! Sorry Nick, but my body is still bruised from the surgery." "Okay, no problem. I rather want to hear everything about your operations first..." Little Harry told them everything about his adventures. He described all the tests he had to undergo. He told them how they put him asleep, and when he woke up he was in my arms, feeling a bit bruised, wondering whether the surgery was done, or not yet. How his face looked, puffed and bruised with a big colored nose. How the doctor had to remove a thin plastic tube from his penis. How tired he was the first days. And how glad he was now, to be home with his friends. John and Davey made sandwiches in the kitchen, spiced with a few of little Harry's herbs. Little Harry nodded approvingly. "You really learned a lot..." After a while little Harry got too tired and wanted to rest for a while. I took him into my arms and carried him to our waterbed. He shut his eyes with a contented sigh and was gone. I sent the boys home and again went upstairs, because I was rather tired too. I undressed and entered our bed. Immediately little Harry shifted to me and nestled himself into my arms, still sound asleep. Softly, I stroked his new face, and he felt wonderful. My marvelous and brave gypsy boy, my little soul mate... Harry AnderS, alternative writer. Thank you for reading my stories, and thanks to Nifty for hosting them. I would like you to proofread my new chapters and comment on them. The latest version of the edited and new chapters is available on: http://www.harryanders.com (both in microsoft-word and in html) Please send your remarks to harry@harryanders.com Please help me improve the story. I could use more editors and proofreaders...