One More Sunrise (24 page)

Tharyn nodded. “Dr. Carroll told me that you are taking over Dr. Robert Fraser’s practice up in Central City.”

“Yes. My parents understand my need to have my own practice. Dr. Fraser has accepted me as buyer of his practice. I’m superbly happy for the way the Lord has worked everything out for me in this.”

Tears misted Tharyn’s eyes. “I’m so glad, big brother. Let’s, ah … get on with the surgery. I can tell you my story later.”

“All right. Just one quick question …”

“Yes?”

“Is—is it
Mrs
. Tharyn Tabor?”

She shook her head. “No. It’s
Miss
Tharyn Tabor. Could I ask just one quick question too?”

“Sure.”

“Is there a
Mrs
. Dr. Dane Logan?”

He chuckled. “No. The Lord hasn’t sent me His chosen young lady to be Mrs. Dr. Dane Logan as yet.”

Secretly, both of them were feeling relief.

Elsa Johnson had folded her hands over her midsection and was smiling at the reunion.

Dane looked into Tharyn’s eyes. “All right, Miss Myers—uh, I mean Miss Tabor—if you will administer the anesthetic, we will provide Mrs. Johnson with a new hip joint.”

Two hours later, when the successful surgery was completed, two orderlies came with a gurney to take Elsa Johnson to the recovery room.

Tharyn told Dane she would accompany Elsa to the recovery room and make sure she was coming out from under the anesthetic all right, while Dane went to talk to her son and daughter-in-law. They would meet in the surgical washroom in a little while.

Half an hour later, Dane and Tharyn were alone in the surgical washroom, scrubbing up from the surgery.

“Big brother, I’ll fill you in on myself now. I was chosen at Denver’s Union Station on November 10, 1871, by David and Kitty Tabor. They are wonderful Christian people. Papa is president of the First National Bank of Denver.”

Dane’s eyebrows arched. “Wow! The Lord was good to you, wasn’t He?”

“That’s for sure. I wasn’t aware, of course, that you were released from prison on November 16. I clearly remember that I sent you a letter on November 24 to let you know where I was so we could correspond with each other as we agreed. When there
was no response from you, I wrote another letter. I still got no response, but I sent several more. When I still didn’t hear back from you, I decided that you didn’t want to maintain our friendship since you were going to be in prison for life.”

Dane was drying his hands on a towel. “I guess the prison officials threw your letters away. Apparently they didn’t want to take the time and effort to write you and let you know that I had been released.”

Tharyn nodded. “Well, at least now I understand why you never wrote back to me. And, of course, you had no way of knowing where I was.”

“Right. I never wrote to the Children’s Aid Society to ask where you had been chosen because I learned before they put me on one of their orphan trains that they never gave out any information as to where the orphans were, nor who had taken them in. That information was sealed to the public.”

Tharyn shook her head as she dropped the towel she was using into a laundry basket. She reached out and touched his arm. “This all seems like a dream, Dane. I’m afraid if I close my eyes, you will disappear.”

He took hold of her hand. “I know exactly what you mean. I think I’ll just keep this grip on your hand so you can’t get away. I’m so glad I’ve found you.”

She smiled warmly. “So am I, and I’m not going anywhere. But speaking of going somewhere, how soon are you going back to Central City?”

“Well, it’s like this. I want to check on Mrs. Johnson in the morning, and if she’s doing all right, I’ll turn her over to Dr. White. Then I must return to Cheyenne and wrap things up there. Once that’s done, I’ll go back to Central City and sign the official papers for the purchase of Dr. Fraser’s practice with his attorney and go to work in my new practice. I’ll be coming
through Denver, of course, to go to Central City. I rented a horse this time and have already returned him to the stable, but next time, I’ll have to buy a horse from the stable. I sure would like to see you again when I come back. It’ll be about a week.”

Tharyn squeezed his hand. “Of course. We have a lot of catching up to do. I’ll look forward to it.” She paused for a moment. “I have an idea.”

“Mm-hmm?”

“Could you come home with me for dinner this evening and meet my parents? An extra plate on the table won’t be a problem at all.”

A smile spread from ear to ear. “That would be wonderful. I’d love to meet your parents. And someday soon I want you to meet mine.” He chuckled. “You and I could probably talk for weeks trying to catch up, but with my time schedule the way it is right now, I guess we’ll have to do it in segments. Once I’m settled in Central City, it’ll be much easier to get together, and we won’t feel so pressed for time.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll look forward to every minute.”

Dane sighed. “Well, Dr. Fraser is still here at the hospital. He’s probably staying close to Dr. Carroll. I’ll let him know my plans and how the hip replacement went, so he can go on back to Central City today.”

“I’ve got to report in to the nurses’ station in case I’m needed. How about you meet me in the hospital lobby at five o’clock this afternoon? Papa always comes and picks me up in his buggy about that time on his way home from the bank.”

Dane let go of her hand. “Tharyn?”

“Mm-hmm?”

He looked deep into her eyes. “Before I go find Dr. Fraser, could—could I hug you?”

“You sure can!”

They were immediately in each other’s arms.

Dane found Dr. Robert Fraser at Dr. Matt Carroll’s office and told them both of the successful hip replacement he had done on Elsa Johnson. The doctors were happy to learn that it had gone well. Dr. Dane told Dr. Carroll that if Elsa was doing all right in the morning, he would turn her over to Dr. Jess White. Dr. Carroll agreed.

Dane then explained about his having known Nurse Tharyn Tabor when they were orphans together on the streets of New York, and that she had invited him to dinner at the Tabor home this evening. He told Dr. Fraser that he would head for Cheyenne tomorrow and be back to Central City within a week so they could get the official papers signed and he could take over the practice. Dr. Fraser told him that he would reserve a room for him at one of Central City’s boardinghouses. Dane thanked him, then Fraser said he would ride on home. He would expect to see Dane in a week or so.

Dane used the remainder of the morning and the afternoon to walk around Denver and get to know the town. At times he found himself coming face to face with people on the boardwalks. His heart was so filled with joy over all that was taking place in his life, that several times he smiled at them, tipped his hat, and said, “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”

At five o’clock, Dane was in the hospital lobby when Tharyn came in from the corridor and greeted him. They waited by the front door, and Dane was telling Tharyn about his walk around Denver when she looked outside and saw her father’s buggy coming from the street.

David Tabor’s face showed his surprise when he saw Tharyn come through the door with the tall, handsome stranger. As he
pulled rein and stopped, Tharyn took Dane by the hand and led him up beside the buggy.

David hopped out as usual to help his daughter climb into the buggy, and noted the light in her eyes and the beam on her face.

“Papa! You will never believe who this is!”

David peered intently at the smiling young man. “Well, sweetheart, I give up. Who is he?”

“You’ve heard me speak his name hundreds of times over the years, Daddy. This is Dane Weston.”

David’s mouth sagged. “Dane Weston!”

“Well, now it’s Dane Logan, Papa.
Doctor
Dane Logan.”

A smile worked its way across the bank president’s face. He extended his hand, and as Dane met his grip, David said, “So you’re the orphan boy who took such good care of this little girl and are responsible for her being saved. Tharyn, did you say I had heard you speak his name hundreds of times? More like
thousands!
”

Tharyn laughed. “Well, maybe it was.”

David looked at his daughter. “So you found him here in the hospital?”

“Uh-huh. Remember me telling you, Papa, how much Dane wanted to be a doctor?”

“Oh yes. But you also told your mother and me about his arrest and imprisonment for a murder that he didn’t commit. What happened?”

“Well, Papa, I’ve invited Dane to come home and have dinner with us this evening. Instead of having him tell the story to you and again to Mama, we’ll wait till we get home so he will only have to tell it once.”

David smiled. “Okay, honey. Whatever you say. Isn’t it incredible that you first found each other on the streets of Manhattan, then lost each other, and have finally found each other again at Mile High Hospital here in Denver?”

“Only the hand of our wonderful heavenly Father could make
this happen, Papa. Well, we’d better be going, or Mama’s going to wonder what’s happened to us.”

David allowed Dane to help Tharyn into the buggy, and with her sitting between the two men, the buggy was soon heading down Broadway.

David was shaking his head in wonder at this amazing development.

Dane explained to David that he was from Cheyenne, that he did a hip replacement on a sixty-three-year-old woman with Tharyn assisting him this morning, and that he would be sleeping at the hospital tonight, as he had done last night. David told him he would bring him back to the hospital this evening.

Kitty Tabor was busily taking a succulent glazed ham from the oven when she caught movement at the kitchen door in her peripheral vision. She turned to get a full view, and was surprised to see a handsome young stranger with her husband and daughter.

David rushed to her and helped her set the pan on the countertop.

Tharyn took Dane by the hand and led him to her mother.

Kitty pushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead and wiped her hands on her gingham apron. Her cheeks were rosy from the heat of the stove. She smiled at the stranger, then ran her gaze from David to Tharyn. “Well, who is going to introduce me to this young man?”

Tharyn’s voice was quavering a bit. “Mama, I told you about the boy who saved my life and gave me a home with his orphan colony and witnessed to me about Jesus.”

Kitty blinked. “This—this is him, honey?”

Tharyn’s eyes were wet with tears. “Yes, Mama.”

A smile broke over Kitty’s face. “Dane? Dane Weston?”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Dane. “Only it’s Dane Logan now.”

Kitty stood looking at Dane, her mouth forming a perfect
O
.

“Actually, Mama,” spoke up Tharyn, “it’s
Doctor
Dane Logan. He will tell you and Papa the whole story while we eat supper, but he was adopted by Dr. and Mrs. Jacob Logan in Cheyenne nine years ago.”

“How wonderful this is!” exclaimed Kitty, looking back and forth between her daughter and the young physician. “Oh, please excuse my lack of manners, Doctor!” With that she offered her hand.

While Dane was shaking Kitty’s hand, Tharyn said, “Mama, let’s you and I get supper on the table, then Dane can tell us all about the years between when I came West, and he was in prison.”

“Oh yes! You and I will have supper on in no time, honey.”

The men were told to wash up, and in less than ten minutes, they were sitting down to the table. When Kitty eased on to her chair, she smiled across the table at Dane. “Dr. Logan, I’ll tell you right now—this girl hasn’t lived a day since we adopted her without bringing up your name.”

Dane smiled at Tharyn, who was blushing.

David prayed over the food and also thanked the Lord for bringing Dr. Dane to Denver so he and Tharyn could see each other after all this time.

The foursome enjoyed the meal together while Dane told his story to David and Kitty. At certain points Tharyn asked questions, wanting to get every detail.

When the meal was over, there was still more to tell. The men were sent to the parlor while the women did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Later, Kitty and Tharyn joined the men and Dane picked up where he had left off at the table.

David and Kitty both noticed that as the story went on, Dane and Tharyn could hardly keep their eyes off each other.

Finally, when the story had been told, Dane looked at the
grandfather clock in the corner of the parlor. “Well, Mr. Tabor, I guess I should have you run me back to the hospital. It’s getting late, and I’m afraid I’m keeping you people up past your bedtime.”

“Oh, it’s not that late,” said Tharyn. “Mama, how about you and I riding along as Papa takes Dane back to the hospital?”

Moments later, the Tabors and Dr. Dane Logan were in the buggy as it rolled along the lantern-lit streets of Denver. Kitty was sitting on the front seat beside her husband, and Tharyn and Dane were sitting together on the backseat.

Along the way, Dane and Tharyn agreed to spend as much time together as possible when Dane was in and out of Denver with his Central City patients in the future.

Soon they arrived at the hospital, and as he moved out of the buggy, Dane thanked David and Kitty for the nice meal and the enjoyable evening.