My heroine for this story was modeled after my writing friend, Mae Hughes who resided at the Pleasant View Nursing Home in Prescott, Kansas for many years.
The Affair in Room 306
The east wing of the Sunny Brook Medical Lodge was quiet this time of morning as the aides went about their morning routines. The closed door of room 306 suddenly burst open as Miss Walton in her stiff, white uniform hurried out and quietly closed the door behind her. She was smiling broadly and there was a gleam of hope in her eyes, when she walked rapidly to the floor desk where her supervisor was on duty.
"Susan!" she whispering excitedly as she leaned over the desk. "He took her hand! He was still holding it when I came out!"
"Braum did? Dr. Lynn Braum? Gosh, I can't believe it Cathy! Wouldn't it be great if he fell for her?"
"Oh if only he would!" Cathy's blue eyes blurred with tears. "Oh, Susan, she's such a darling lady and she's so pretty with all the lovely white hair - - - well, any man would be lucky just receiving her smiles."
"But what if she won't be able to walk again?"
"Maybe," Cathy said slowly, "just maybe Dr. Braum is the one man who would marry her anyway. Wouldn't that be wonderful!"
In room 306 Doctor Braum was no longer holding Emily's hand, but was standing beside the bed smiling at her. Emily was indeed lovely to look at. Especially her large dark eyes even though they were clouded with pain after only a few minutes exercising in the walker. The walker was a cage of steel tubing standing in the corner of her crowded room which held Emily upright on crutch supports while she made motions of walking.
Room 306 had been Emily's home the last year except for a few weeks in between her hip surgeries. Her room was crowded with her belonging's, her much read books, her beloved family pictures, and her writing materials. She had recently passed her seventieth birthday and the article she had written about her hip surgeries had been published in Modern Seniors, to Dr. Braum and the entire staff's delight. She was sure her writing and Dr. Braum was all that kept her going through this painful time. She waved a fond good-bye to the doctor as he left to check on his other patients.
Dr. Braum had planned to retire from his orthopedic practice but kept putting it off determined to see Emily Berry walking again. The doctor continued his musings as he walked down the hall "what was he going to do with all that time when he had no more patients. He didn't look forward to the dreaded loneliness he now experienced on his day off. Why couldn't he look ahead as Emily did? Was it because he had always had family around with Betty and the kids. But no one needed him now the last of their six kids had married and Betty's death five years ago. I just can't quit working yet. If I had someone --- like Emily it would be different."
A few days later room 306 was an untidy mess with colorful scraps of red and white paper scattered around amongst bits of lace and ribbon. Emily was making valentines for all her friends. Several were already finished and laid aside but she was attempting to make an even prettier one. Miss Walton, waiting nearby to hand her anything she couldn't reach, wondered who this extra special valentine was for. Before Emily could finish the center of the heart, Dr. Braum came in on his daily visit, so she carefully laid it on the bed as she answered questions about her daily walking exercises.
Later as Miss Walton and the doctor left the room Emily noticed a heart-shaped glossy red box laying at the end of the bed. When she picked it up she expected it to be heavy with her favorite luscious chocolates instead it was light as a feather. Quickly she opened the beautiful box and saw these word written across the bottom of the cardboard heart.
Marry me Emily and
we'll walk through life
together!
Lynn
"Oh My" she thought, then she grabbed the red magic marker and pushed the call bell for Miss Walton. When the aide rushed through the open door, Emily handed her the valentine saying, "Could you catch Dr. Braum before he leaves and give him this please?"
"Oh yes, I'm sure he hasn't left yet" replied Cathy as she rushed out into the hall just in time to see the doctor putting on his overcoat. Handing him the valentine Cathy walked over to the desk as if she wasn't interested in his reactions. Hardly able to control her excitement she tapped Susan's shoulder and they watched as the doctor read the single word YES written in the center of the valentine. His face lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July then he dashed into room 306 and shut the door.
A few months later when Myra Langley the night nurse was on duty the scent of spring flowers filled the air and partly subdued the ever present odor of medicine. As she walked softly past the closed door of room 306. Suddenly she heard voices and a muffled moan from the room. Stepping to the door she quietly knocked and asked, "Miss Berry do you need anything?"
"No, thank you Miss Langley, I'm listening to the radio” came a soft answer. Miss Langley pondered the answer and the closed door as she went about her duties. She thought the deep voice had sounded like Mark Woodey from room 312. The good looking Mr. Woodey had been at the lodge for a couple of weeks recuperating from a broken ankle. Mrs. Woodey spent most of the day at his bedside. Myra didn't think Miss Berry had even met the new patient since neither was able to walk.
The nurses all thought Emily Berry might never walk again. Since Dr. Braum and Emily became engaged on Valentine's Day, Emily had tried to use the walker more often. But the pain was unbearable every time. Back at the nurses station Miss Langley kept a watchful eye on the hall down the east wing as she filled out the forms from the endless stack on her desk. It was about forty five minutes later when she observed the door of room 306 slowly open. Just that minute the light came on for Mrs. Van Deever in 359 in the opposite direction. If she didn't show up immediately, Mrs. Van Deever would start calling loudly. So Miss Langley hurried off to answer the signal and didn't see who it was that slipped from room 306.
A few nights later a similar incident occurred that reminded Miss Langley of the first occasion. When Cathy Walton relieved her the next morning she asked, "Cathy, who would be visiting Mrs. Berry in the middle of the night with the door closed?"
Cathy replied, "Oh it must be Dr. Braum, he asked her to marry him, you know."
When Miss Langley protested "The Doctor wasn't here either time," Cathy just shook her head and went about her duties pondering her friend's remarks. She couldn't imagine Mrs. Berry closing her door at nights. "The four walls seem to close in on me at night." The lovely white-haired patient in 306 had told her only last week.
As Cathy approached room 306 she could see in the open door and Emily Berry was still sound asleep. A common occurrence the past week or so. Before that she would have been up and typing another article or poem by this time of day. Now she seemed overly tired all day long.
When Dr. Braum came that morning Cathy brought the tiredness to his attention. When pressed for more detail, Cathy unburdened her heart about the closed door of room 306 at night. When Dr. Braum visited his patient he couldn't see a thing wrong with Emily's smiling face. Her blood pressure it was normal. Although Emily's heart beat was rapid, he was pleased to find out, that was always the case whenever he was around. Later as he left the Medical Lodge, Miss Walton's words came back to him and he realized Emily's beautiful eyes were more shadowed than usual.
That evening Dr. Braum decided to make an evening call to see his patient. He arrived at the medical facility much later than he had planned because his son had stopped for a chat. As he approached the desk he noticed Miss Langly intently looking down the hallway of the east wing. "Good evening Miss Langley! Do you have a prowler down there?"
The supervisor straightened in her chair with a smile and answered, "Well I hope not, but I do know someone just went into room 306." Dr. Braum frowned as he answered, "Well there is no time like the present to see who your prowler is" and he walked down the silent corridor with Miss Langley at his heels. At the closed door of room 306, the doctor softly tapped, spoke his patient's name and opened the door. He caught his breath and took a step backwards almost treading on Miss Langly, as he saw his very own Emily Berry standing in the arms of Mark Woodey from room 312.
As Dr. Lynn Braum confronted his lovely sweetheart, Emily, in the arms of handsome Mark Woodey, he couldn't think of an easy way out of the appalling situation. Falling back on his many years of experience as a doctor, he pushed the night supervisor back with one hand, apologized, "Sorry! Wrong room" and shut the door.
The unhappy doctor turned the strange situation he had just encountered over and over in his mind. Did Emily want out of their engagement? How could he make it easier for her? He had thought Mark Woodey was happy with his wife. What about Mrs. Woodey? How will I tell my family? Questions followed unanswered questions as the doctor's long legs carried him back to the desk where he grabbed his jacket and plunged out the front door.
"What will happened to our plans for a Christmas wedding?" he wondered as he wiped sudden moisture from the corner of his eye with the knuckle of a finger. Straightening to his full height he vowed to spare his Emily any anxiety over this mishap.
Back in room 306 the elderly culprits looked wryly at each other and Mark spoke ruefully, "Emily what will you do now?"
"Don't worry Mark," Emily soothed him, "We know this isn't what it looks like. Let's just go on as before. Maybe I can still surprise Lynn at the annual Christmas party."
But Mark protested, "What will Lynn think? You don't suppose he will go around telling tales do you? And what about Langley?" Emily shook her head so vigorously her snow white hair trembled as she exclaimed, "Of course he won't tell. But ring for Miss Langley, we will have to share our secret with her now."
Myra Langley was understandably nervous when she entered room 306 a short time later. But her expression turned to surprise when she was greeted with two smiling faces. The two conspirators quickly persuaded her to become a willing partner in their secret plans. Soon it was no secret as the happy nurse went about sharing the news with everyone except Dr. Braum.
Before Doctor Braum had time to wonder why he hadn't heard something definite from Emily, Nurse Walton called and told him that Mrs. Berry had stumbled, apparently hurting her hip again. The doctor ordered X-Ray's taken but the pictures showed no noticeable damage to the joint. Time flew by and Emily still couldn't walk without help.
Finally Mark Woodley’s ankle became well enough for him to go home to his wife. Yet the doctor kept seeing Woodley now and then around the medical lodge usually talking with the nurses.
The worried doctor wondered why Emily didn't explain what was wrong and end their engagement? If she didn't bring it up he just couldn't make himself ask her. She appeared to be the same busy, happy person he'd asked to marry him. Maybe she figured he would take it for granted the engagement was over, after he found her in Mark Woodley’s arms. No that can't be! he was still finding little hand-crafted tokens of her love in his bag now and then. How they got there he hadn't figured out. Just last week silver beaded Christmas Bells appeared on the lapel of his topcoat. How will I get through this Christmas?
The Christmas season always created lots of bustling activity and great expectations at Sunny Brook. But it seemed to be overflowing with suppressed excitement when Dr. Braum arrived the day of the Christmas party. Standing at one end of the hall was a big evergreen tree decorated all in silver. Lynn's favorite song, 'Silver Bells' softly filled the air and silver garlands outlined a glittering pathway to the tree. "Does Santa need a path?" mused the doctor. Even the nurses were wearing silver corsages, Lynn noted as Cathy Walton and the other nurses began leading the many patients to chairs on each side of the pathway.
Attempting to get out of the way Dr. Braum drifted over by Reverend Stanhope, "Don't tell me they found a part for you in this extravaganza, Reverend?" Lynn joked.
"Oh my yes, I have a very important part tonight" answered the reverend, "Almost as important as you." Before this remark could be explained the doctor's whole family joined them and his youngest daughter, Carol, exclaimed. "Isn't the tree just beautiful, father, I can hardly wait until this party begins. Let's walk over by the tree, we can see better there." By this time Lynn Braum was thoroughly mystified.
Suddenly a hush fell over the crowd, the music 'Silver Bells' softly faded away to be replaced with the lovely wedding march. Then Dr. Lynn Braum saw a beautiful white-haired angel walking very slowly up the silver-lined path toward him. He could hardly believe his eyes.
Understanding finally came as Mark Woodley stepped up beside him and whispered, "We were only helping each other learn to walk again and I would like to be your best man." Then Emily took Lynn's hand and they slowly walked together to stand in front of the silver tree as the minister took his place before them. Long months of secret planning was finally ending with a wedding ceremony for Emily Berry and Lynn Braum on Christmas Eve.
Published as a serial in 1995 in the Golden Years, a bimonthly newspaper for senior citizens in eastern Kansas.