Sunday December 2, 2001
0413
Present:
Rene starts down the long slow road to recovery at breakneck speed. Although she is weak and in pain, she is determined to tough it out on her own without any help from anyone, both at home and the office. While she is in the hospital, she dreams that her father is at her bedside telling her, "My little soldier can take care of herself", something he said often when she was younger. Despite pleas by Sara, M.E., Turk and Joe to take it slowly and let them support her, she remembers her father's words and rushes to regain control of her life and get things back to normal, even after Sara tells her that her normal has changed. Against the advice of her doctor, she insists upon getting a copy of the videotape that was made during her surgery. As soon as she is home, she shoos everyone anyway and watches the tape. The stress of seeing the video, coupled with how hard she has pushed herself to recover, causes her to collapse and be rushed to the emergency room. When she returns from the hospital a few hours later, she is so exhausted that she cannot climb the stairs to her bedroom. Turk takes her in his arms and tells her that it is time for her to let him in, and that although she is strong, she doesn't have to do this alone. Rene finally lets go, and leans on him for support.
Colliar gives M.E. a new wedding band to replace the one she lost in the tornado. When the ring doesn't fit, even though it's the same size as the one she lost, she tells Colliar she's retaining a little water. Later, she's forced to admit that her recent habit of non-stop snacking has caused her to gain weight.
Davis comes home from a Catholic youth festival enthused about transferring to a high school in Wisconsin where he can begin his seminary studies. Although Father Mike thinks that this is a good move for Davis, M.E. and Colliar are hesitant to let him leave home so soon. To convince them that he is sincere about his vocation, Davis takes a vow of silence, which only serves to upset everyone. When no one in the family can get Davis to talk, M.E. insists that they meet with Father Mike. During the meeting, M.E. says that she will not sign any papers allowing Davis to go to Wisconsin unless Davis starts talking again. Later that evening, M.E. and Davis finally talk again about his vocation, and she realizes that she and Colliar have to let him go.
Past:
Teresa, suffering from a broken heart, mopes around the house and makes Colliar her devoted servant.
Rene also has boy-trouble, which leaves her feeling blue. She gets good advice from Marilyn Scott, who is Sara's good friend, but it doesn't help her mood. Later that day while Sara, Marilyn and Rene are out having lunch, news reaches them about the death of Dr. Martin Luther King. Marilyn suggests that they go home, and Sara and Rene agree. As they are getting out of their chairs, Jimmy O'Brien comes into the restaurant and orders everyone to go home. Marilyn very firmly tells him that they don't have to go anywhere, and all three women sit down. Jimmy leaves, but not before threatening Sara. Once he is gone, Sara urges everyone to go home to their families and pray for Dr. King. The news of Dr. King's death hits Rene very hard, and once again Marilyn gives her good advice about acknowledging and sharing her grief, and then moving forward to continue Dr. King's work.
Bookworm1617
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bbrimacombe
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Kristhetvgirl2
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