Feeling confused, sad, frightened, and lonely, but at the same time deeply cared for by the relative stranger kneeling by the tubside, the little boy somehow innately knew that his only hope lay in trusting an "Angel", Miss Angel.... Feeling a warm, and genuine aura of love radiating from her heart, Neil once again sighed, and laid back blissfully.... Somehow, he knew that it was going to be okay....

Almost laughing, when Miss "Angewa" called him "bunny" the little four year old said, "Angel you sillwy. I not a bunny! I a boy!" Even as he said this he thought, "I wike how she call me dat.... I not know why, but it make me feel
nice." Then splashing her playfully, soaking the front of her spotlessly clean and heavily starched white nurse's uniform, Neil said, "Miss Angewa, guess what? Eben dough I not a bunny, I 'till knows how to hop! You wan' me show you?"

Angel laughed, but held him down when he started to get up.
“NO, Neil, not in the tub. Otherwise you will flood the whole room.” she said. “And that would make Nurse Roberta very angry.”
Roberta was the head nurse, a heavy and harsh woman in her late 40es. Most children disliked, because of her hard character, a character formed by spending a life around sick and dying people.
“So, please sit down, bunny.” she said smiling while grabbing the shampoo powder (in the 60es, powder shampoo was still pretty common) and put in Neil’s hair.
“Neil, take the wash cloth and put it over your eyes. I don’t want you to have soap in your eyes.” she said.

Neil became frightened when he heard Angel bring up Nurse "Woberta". Although the small child himself, had no concept of time, today actually marked his fifth day in the hospital. Neil had only met the head nurse once, and that had been enough.... It had only been his second night in the hospital, and Neil had been unable to sleep. Holding the "Teddy'' given to him by nurse "Angewa", Neil had climbed over his bed rails, and wandered out to the nurses' station where nurse "Woberta" had been on duty. Innocently, and politely Neil had asked if she could read him a story, and told her he couldn't sleep. The nurse had not been nice at all, instead she had picked Neil up, and while carrying him back to his room, had said, "WHY, YOU LITTLE BRAT!! HOW DARE YOU GET OUT OF BED WTHOUT PERMISSION!!" She had then thrown him back in his bed, but not before she had delivered a stinging, and resounding SMACK upon his little pajama clad rear end. Crossly, she had said, "YOUNG MAN, MAYBE THAT CAN HELP YOU SLEEP!!"

Never before in his life had Neil been hit, let alone SPANKED! The little boy's now deceased parents had always believed in being "permisive", and "progressive" when it came to discipline. As a result, even though Neil was at heart a good natured child, and generally well behaved, he was now used to being able to do exactly as he pleased. The "SMACKBOTTOM", he had received that night from "Woberta" had come as a most unwelcome surprise...most unwelcome indeed! Never having felt anything like it, Neil had howled, and squealed for all he was worth. Left alone in his bed, he had sobbed miserably, until becoming too exhausted to continue, he finally cried himself to sleep....

Anxious to please, Neil covered his eyes exactly as he'd been told. As he did so he said, "Miss Angewa, I no want Nurse Woberta take care me.... She mean!! She hitted me de uvver night when I not able sweep, an' I axed her wead me a storwy. Nobuddy eber hitted me 'efore, an' it weally huhrted too!! It make me crwy...." Then changing the subject, Neil said, "Miss Awexy sayed you wuz talkin' 'bout me to a 'ttorney. Daddy tell me you need a 'ttorney when you done someting weally bad.... Wight? Is I in big twouble 'cause of de accident? Is dat why you talkin' to dat 'ttorney?"

“Good boy.” she stated when he covered his eyes.
She poured a bit of the powder on Neil’s head and started to rub it through his hair until it was soapy and foamy.
“Well, Neil, Roberta is an old lady and old ladies often overreact. Don’t be mad with her, I mean she doesn’t know it better.” she said.
“About the attorney, they do a lot of different things. Yes, it has to do with the accident, but nobody blames you for that. Well, the attorney and I talked about something important. What would you think about living with me for a while?” she asked him.
“Because, Neil... aye... how should I start this? I mean... I will explain it to you after the bath, okay, bunny?”

Neil loved the wonderfully caring attention shown to him by his pretty nurse. Once Angela finished getting him both clean, and rinsed she started to try and answer his questions. Neil found it all very confusing. After all why wouldn't he continue to live with mommy and daddy, and the accident was his fault.... He just knew it!

Gazing seriously into Angel's deep, soft, and warm blue eyes the little four year old said, "Miss Angewa, I no mine wiving wif you, but can mama and dada come too? An' de accident was my fault! (sniff... sniff) We was on our way to Disneywan'. Daddy was drivin' an' I keeped aksin' how much wonger, how much wonger? Daddy got mad an' yelled at me sayin' dat if I keeped aksin' dat de car would neber get dere at all (sniff... sniff)!! Mommy den started yellin' at daddy, an' tole him not to yell at me. Daddy den got mad at mommy, an' den de car start to spin (sniff... sniff).... De next ting I memembah is waking up in de hopital wif you wipin' me wif dat soft wag while you was holdin' my han'. So see it was my fault (sniff... gulp... sniff... whaa... whaa....)!!!"

Longing for forgiveness, Neil held out his arms and cried....

„Oh, poor bunny. “, she said and lifted him up, holding him in her arms, gently stroking his shoulders.
“I am sorry, but that is not possible. But I promise you that your mommy and daddy are not angry with you. The accident wasn’t your fault. Accidents just happen sometimes, mostly it is nobody’s fault.”, she said. She looked for a chair and sat down, placing Neil on her lap. Maybe her own story would help him.
“Did you parents ever told you about the war? I don’t mean the one in Vietnam. I mean the big one. My daddy was in it.... and he never came back.”

Neil's crying subsided into soft shudders as he clung desperately to his nurse, and listened mournfully to all that she had to say. He felt comforted, and loved wrapped as he was in her soft, and warm embrace. He buried his head against her gentle bosom as she rocked him, and spoke to him quietly. Suddenly the little boy understood, as well as any four year old might be expected to, the tragic finality and certainty of the situation. Feeling a terrible, burning, emptiness overwhelm him, Neil let out a piteous wail and screamed, "MOMMY!!! DADDY!!! ANGEWA, NO!!! DEY CAN'T BE GONE FOREBER.... ANGEWA PWEASE!!!"

Neil cried out his grief in anguishing, heart wrenching tears, as Angel continued to hold him consolingly, and speak to him in a reassuring, soft and soothing tone....

In an instant everthing stopped, as Nurse Roberta's large, terrifying, and formidable frame filled the doorway. Neil quieted, as her foreboding voice boomed, "WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON IN HERE?"

It was almost hurting her physical to see him crying like that.
„Hush, bunny.” she stated and gently stroked his hair. “I know it is terrible, but I am sure, that you parents want you to be happy.” She tried to smile at him. “I am sorry...”

When Roberta came in, Angel gave her a stare, trying to say to her that is wasn’t quite the right moment to scream.
“Sorry, Ma’am, but this situation is rather complicated.” she stated. “If you could excuse us for a moment and I will make Neil ready.”

Neil exhaled in relief as he saw Nurse Roberta shake her head, before she turned around to stomp angrily out of the room, and head back in the direction from where she had come. He nestled deeper into Angela's arms, as all of a suddden his new and all together terrifying reality overtook him. Truly afraid of what he was about to be told he asked haltingly, "A-A-Angewa, if if mama an' dada neber c-c-comin' back den what g-g-gonna happen to m-m-me? I-I-I onwy four.... Where I g-g-gonna go? Who-Who gonna take care m-m-me?"

She petted him.
„That’s why I asked you if you want to stay with me.” she said. “If you want it, I will take care of you. I really would like to do that.”
She looked him in the eyes, her look was serious but friendly.
“I cannot be your mommy or your daddy, I am sorry about that. But I will do my best to take care of you.”