Quiet Miracles

Chapter One

A sunlight bright blonde little girl in a well washed pink faded dress wearing bleached red tennis shoes that were more pink than red, moved away from her mother's side. They had been standing in line to pay for their Takeout Food. Although there were only a few people ahead of them the line seemed to be moving at an incredible slow pace and the mother was afraid their ride would not wait for them. The little girl’s mother was a very attractive strawberry blonde. Her naturally curly hair blossomed up and out from around her head and then cascaded over her shoulders and down her back as if it were bubbling stream of golden red shadows and sun gold swirls that constantly moved in the undercurrent of this colorful cascade.

A tightly stretched green Tank Top held the women's shapely bosom so snuggly in place that her nipples were obvious. Her black stretch hip-hugger jeans had the look as if she had to have been poured into them. Anyone looking at her knew without a shadow of a doubt that every curve of her body was real and totally natural. To top all this off, she carried a movie star face with high cheekbones, a perfect chin, a button nose and kissable lips. You could not see the color of her eyes as she hid them behind a pair of Hollywood type sunglasses.

The little girl continued to move further and further away from her mother as if she knew she had to be in a special place at the right time. Once she had moved about 10 feet from her mother, she made a bee line for the front door as if an invisible leash holding her to her mother had been broken. She moved so quickly and surely that she did not cause anyone to notice her as she went through an opened door to the sidewalk leading up to the Restaurant.

With such light blonde hair and extremely fair complexion, you would expect the little girl to have a lovely pair of blue eyes if not green eyes like her mother’s. But this little girl did not have either. He eyes were totally white without any color for the iris or even the dark spot for her pupils. This little girl had been born blind. The functioning parts of her eyes never existed.

Doctor's had examined her in the hope that the eye's sclera, the white fibrous tissue that covers the rest of the eyeball could be removed and they would find a normal eye with all its functioning parts beneath it. That brief hope had been lost after several famous Ophthalmologists had conducted their extensive examinations and found she had been born without the normal opening that allows light and images to be received on the retinas. There was no known surgical procedure to correct this birth defect. She would be blind all her life.

However, this little girl moved unerringly down the walkway from the Restaurant’s front door until she reached the curb where a handicapped Van had just pulled up to discharge a small boy in a wheelchair. The Van's back doors were open and the wheelchair was lowered by the means of a hydraulic lift built into the back of the custom made Van. Once the wheelchair had been lowered to the ground a boy with a Baltimore Orioles’ baseball cap and an infielder's baseball glove in his lap began pushing himself up the walkway towards the little girl.

The Baseball glove had been autographed by Cal Ripken, the boy's Idol who played Short Stop for the Orioles Baseball team. He continued to push himself ahead of the rest of his family to where the little girl was standing. The other members of the family were piling out of the Van’s other doors and they were just milling around stretching and unlimbering their bodies after having been on the road since early this morning.

As the young boy approached the little girl, she asked him. Are you Bobby Evens? But she did not let him answer before she stated. My name’s Sarah Dixon and I have been waiting for you to get here.

What did you say? Bobby asked completely surprised. How do you know my name? He asked.

That's not important, I just do. Sometimes things just come into my head just as I know you are coming back from a disappointing medical examination and the Doctor made your mother cry. That Doctor was not very helpful, was he? Sarah asked.

"Yeah, it was a real bummer. It was a long way to go to be told the same thing. But my Dad said we had to take the chance that they might be able to do something to help me walk. But I'm still stuck in this wheelchair, just like I have always been. It’s not like I have ever been able to walk before, so I don’t really know what I am missing. I have all but given up being like any other kid.

It’s my parents who are more upset by all this. I was born this way. I don’t know anything different. Yes, I would like to be able to walk if for no other reason than to make my mom and dad happy." Bobby stated.

So, there doesn’t seem to be much of a chance that you will ever be fixed by those doctor’s is there? Sarah asked him.

No there isn’t. I heard them talking and my mother ended up crying so I know there wasn’t much of a chance. Here see for yourself. Bobby said as he pulled up his pants legs and exposed the twisted and gnarled legs that looked more like spindly Hawthorn Bush branches. Pushing his pants legs down he turned and looked Sarah in her face and caught his breath. Say you don’t have any centers in your eyes. I mean you don’t have any colored part or even the black hole in the center in your eyes, like regular people do. Bobby stated before he asked the obvious question, Are you blind?

Yes, I am blind and I was born blind just like you were born with twisted legs. But I can feel a lot of things about people that other people could never see with their eyes, if you know what I mean. I don’t feel too bad about not being able to see with my eyes. Sarah answered him.

Gee I am sorry. I guess we both have our problems don’t we. Bobby stated as his family got themselves organized and started moving up the side walk toward the restaurant’s door. Some of them noticed that Bobby was half way up the sidewalk talking with a little blonde headed girl in a washed out faded pink dress.

Bobby, I think you are a really nice person and I think you should be able to walk and run just like any other boy your age. I also feel that you could be a very good ‘Shortstop’, whatever that is. Do you have faith that today could be one of the best days of your life? Sarah asked him.

Sure, why not? Bobby answered her as he continued to stare into Sarah's completely white eyes. Good luck to you too. Bobby said.

Well then, we have a deal and let's shake on it, shall we? Sarah stated as she stuck out her hand in front of herself so Bobby could take it.

As he took her hand Bobby said, Hay that tingles and he laughed before he added. You take care of yourself now okay? Bobby left Sarah standing on the edge of the sidewalk as he pushed himself towards the Restaurant’s door.

Who was that little girl you were you were talking to Bobby? His mother asked as she watched the little girl turn and walk slowly toward the end of the sidewalk.

I don't know Mom. She told me her name was Sarah and she even knew who I was. He said. She talked about some of the strangest things. She knew we were coming back from New York after seeing Doctor Limkie who told us there wasn't anything that he could do to help me.

Now Bobby you know the rules, we do not talk that way about your legs. There is always a chance that they will get better and that something could happen, even if it takes a miracle. Mrs Evens said as she pushed Bobby's wheelchair into the Restaurant towards the table where the rest of the family were already taking their seats.

That’s just it Mom. She wanted me to get better and be able to play Shortstop like any other boy. Bobby said. She asked if I had any faith that today would be one of the best days of my life. Bobby continued to tell his mother. And you know what Mom, after I said it could be a great day I believe it would be.

You need to be careful about meeting strangers Bobby, His mother admonished him. You just never know what type of people you can run into in this world. Mrs Evens told him as she wheeled him up to the family’s table.

She wasn’t crazy Mom and she was really neat. Do you know what Mom? She was blind. Bobby tried to correct his mother's impression of the little girl’s efforts to be friendly, helpful and pleasant. But Bobby's mother was no longer listening to what her son was trying to tell her.

Chapter Two

The Evens family was about to Order when Sarah’s mother Annie Dixon went flying out the Restaurant’s Door with a bag full of hamburgers, fries and cokes. She also was trying to keep the strap to the huge blue nylon carry-all bag from slipping off her shoulder. It held all her and Sarah’s worldly possession and made sizable obstacle to deal with as she ran down the sidewalk.

Annie was fueled with panic when she realized that Sarah was no longer at her side holding on to her pants leg as she usually did when the two of them were walking in public. Once her eyes caught Sarah’s pink dress she relaxed at seeing her daughter just outside the Restaurant's door, she breathed a large sigh of relief. Catching up with Sarah, Annie scolded her, Where did you run off too Sarah? Annie took a deep breath. I have told you that we are not back home in West Virginia where everyone knows who you are. I need you to stick close to me all the time, before you end up getting hurt.

With Sarah in tow Annie heading across the parking lot towards Tom Henderson's MAC Truck. He was hauling a trailer load of Cottonseed to Central Wisconsin. Research had found the ingredients’ in Cottonseed were an inexpensive but extremely valuable feed supplement for milk production in Dairy Cows.

Tom had agreed to take Annie before he knew about her little girl Sarah. Annie with her movie star looks had gotten Tom's attention and he already had convinced himself just how interesting this ride might be. Tom was a married man but that did not stop him from getting his itch scratched when the opportunity presented itself. His anticipation quickly faded after he saw Sarah in her pink dress.

Just looking at that pare told him that he was not going to get any ‘strange’ on this leg of his trip. But then again having a good looking lady to talk with while the miles rolled on could make the trip seem shorter. Not only that the other truckers would not know that he wasn't getting any from the good looking gal riding with him and they could just let their dirty little minds get carried away with themselves.

Annie was still upset about Sarah walking off. Annie had tried to impress Sarah that things were different than they were back home in the hills. Here people were not expecting or prepared to deal with a little blind girl who could walk right out in front of them. She could easily be hit by a car or a truck. There were so many other dangers that Annie had not thought of and now she knew that she had not adequately prepare Sarah to deal with them. The simple things like falling into a hole or running into something were bad enough. The other things like the evil people that did bad things to little girls if they could catch them and being blind would make her so much easier to catch.

Tom was listening to Annie scold her daughter and he thought that she was coming down a little hard on her for just walking out of the restaurant ahead of her mother, until he realized that the little girl was blind.

Once the big truck was rolling west down the Ohio Turn Pike Sarah attempted to tell her mother and Tom about the young boy she had met named Bobby Evens. In between bits of her hamburger, Sarah told them how Bobby wanted to play ‘shortstop’ and he was going to be a great baseball player.

Unfortunately, neither Annie or Tom paid much attention to what Sarah was trying to tell them. Annie was just grateful that they had found a good ride with a reasonable guy who seemed to like Sarah and he did not look or acted like an Ax Murderer or a Rapist.

When the News came over the radio about a little boy who had been cured at a Rest Stop on the Turn Pike, Annie just turned the radio to a new Station that was playing some good Country Western music. That was agreeable with Tom, who only grinned at the woman who liked the same music he did.

Annie planned their trip very carefully. She knew that she would have a good chance of catching a ride with an Independent Trucker rather than with any driver with one the larger National Truck Companies. The owner operators were their own boss and they would make up their own rules about carried passengers especially attractive ones. The Truck Drivers with the large National haulers could not carry any non-company personnel. Part of the reason was the Insurance Liability the other reason had to do with the number of High Jacking schemes where the driver had picked up a rider who was part of a team to get control over the truck from inside the Cab. These Highjack Teams did not care if the driver lived or dead. Dead was better as the dead do not talk or tell stories.

Annie also knew that she and Sarah had entered in a dangerous world where drivers and riders were exposed to some high risks. There were women who just traveled on the highways living off truck drivers and trading sex for food and a warm place to sleep or even some extra spending money if things could work out. But most of these women were hags and were so sloppy looking that no one really wanted to be seen with any of them. Ridding the highways was a whole different way of life. When you did something like this, you were gambling with your life and the stakes could become extremely high. Not knowing who you were dealing with when you crawled in his Tracker Cab could be putting more than your life in his hands.

Annie's situation was twice as dangerous as she not only had to look out for herself, she also had to consider the possible dangers she might be putting her daughter's life in. If Annie guessed wrong about the driver, Sarah would be such an easy victim as she would never see the danger coming.

Annie had questioned herself a thousand times since she left West Virginia as to why she had to head west and get out of West Virginia. There was no specific answer. It all just came down to a many different things and a combination of situations that made her just pack up and head west. Just how far west Annie did not know, she would not know until she got there.

When Annie was screening Tom Henderson as a possible ride for them, she found he loved Country Western music, he was still married to the same wife for 10 years and had three kids back home. Annie felt better in her selection when he showed her pictures of his wife and kids. That did not mean that she could lower her guard about the potential danger. She only felt a little less like a cornered animal who might have to fight to protect her young.

Chapter Three

When the Evens family finished eating, Bobby decided that he would take advantage of the restroom facilities before, they continued on the last leg of their trip back home. Bobby wheeled himself into the restroom but when he came back, he was walking behind the wheel chair. His steps were sure and strong. He did not hesitate when he took his steps as he moved almost as if he had been walking every day of his life after he had taken his first baby steps.

The shocked look on his mother's face brought the whole family to their feet. Robby's dad spoke first. Son, is that really you walking or is this some type of dream we are all experiencing?

It's really me, dad. Honest I am walking I can't believe I am walking but I am, just like that little girl said. Bobby paused to take a deep breath as he was so excited. She told me, she told me this would be one of the happiest days of my life. We even shook hands on it dad. Bobby was talking so fast that it was hard to understand everything he was trying to say. Everyone in his family tried to talk at the same time until his dad spoke with the most authority. What little girl? He asked.

Before Bobby could answer, his mother quickly spoke up for him. Bobby was talking to a little blonde girl in that faded pink dress when we were coming into the restaurant. She was telling him a bunch of nonsense.

Well, apparently, it wasn't all nonsense as our boy is up walking on his own two feet. Bobby's dad responded.

The more that Bobby tried to explain the harder it was to make his family just listen to what he had to say. His father ran outside in the hope of seeing the little girl in the pink dress. He vaguely remembered seeing a little girl in a pink dress standing outside the restaurant's door when they were going in, but that was the extent of his personal knowledge. It was also over an hour, ago.

Bobby's dad went over to the Filling Station and talked with all the attendants but none of them remembered any little girl in a pink dress. One of the attendants told him that there had been a shift change in the last half hour so it was possible that one of them had seen the girl he was looking for.

Bobby's dad went into the employee’s locker room and caught one of the attendants who told him he thought he saw a little blonde headed girl in a pink dress get into a truck cab with a good looking woman who he thought might have been the little girl's mother. The truck was heading west and that was almost two hours, ago.

When Bobby's father returned to the Restaurant, he listened to his wife add a few more minor details about the little girl. One of the waitresses thought she remembered a little blonde girl in a pink dress who was with a strawberry blonde that had purchased some hamburgers and fries maybe about two hours ago.

There was no doubt that there had been a little girl but she was long gone. The only thing they all knew was the little girls was heading west to some unknown destination. Mister Evens gathered all the names, addresses and phone numbers of anyone who remembered the little girl.

He was sure that once he told this to their Parish Priest, he would contact someone in the Catholic Church and they would conduct an investigation, as this had to be a miracle. They would need statements from all those who might be able to add any information just to confirm the little girl really existed.

Bobby kept making the point that the little girl was blind and that she did not have any colored part or even the dark part in her eyes like everyone else did. Bobby continued to tell his mother and father that the little girl was born blind just like he had been born with his legs all crippled up.

Once the Evens family were back on the Interstate Highway they discussed what they needed to do next. The obvious answer was to contact Father Borcowski at their home Parish and bring him into the situation as quickly as possible.

The News of the possible miracle spread extremely fast. The waitresses at the Ohio Turn Pike Rest Stop called the local Radio Station and reported what had taken place. Within 20 minutes the Radio Station had one of their ‘On the Spot’ Reporters filled the airwaves with the story of the Bobby Evens Miracle. The Story was picked up by the Nation Radio News Network as the local Reporter conducted live interviews with everyone who knew anything about how a crippled young boy in a wheelchair was now walking and running around as if he never had been born with deformed legs.

The Waitress told her story surprisingly well as if she had been a trained News Reporter. She had the family's name and the little boy's name and she had gotten their home address when she had exchanged her name with Mister Evens. She explained how the boy’s father had been very through when he took her statement and asked her to call him collect if she remembered anything more.

As more and more Radio Stations pick up the story and the local TV Station sent its News Team for ‘Live interviews’ with the waitress and everyone else that had seen something or heard something. The Waitress was the Star Witness as the Evens family could not be reached while they still on the road traveling home.

Annie Dixon and Tom Henderson were also traveling just fast enough west that the news of the little girl curing the little boy in his wheelchair was just a Radio Station behind them or Annie had just switched the Radio Station when the News of the Miracle started to air.

Chapter Four

Father Borcowski had known the Evens family for over 15 years and he had baptized Robert Frances Evens eleven years, ago. Father Borcowski had helped guide the Evens family through a several rough times. He had assisted them in raising money for the Special Operations on Bobby's legs that the Insurance Company would not cover. The Good Father had been there to shore up their moral courage when the Operations failed. He never gave up hope for the Evens boy and he was always there to inspire them to reach back for more of their hope and faith that somehow, someway things would turn out alright. He could have been hoping and praying for a Miracle just like this to happen.

When the last Operation failed Father Borcowski was almost to the point of admitting that he too was not very hopeful when the Evens family had gone out to New York to see just one more Expert, one more Specialist. This last Specialist was in such great demand that it had taken the Evens family over four-months just to schedule Bobby's first appointment. Father Borcowski had said a special Mass for them the morning that the Evens family left for New York.

Once the Specialist had seen Bobby he refused to even consider operating. He knew there was nothing medically that he could offer and there was no other medical doctor he knew of that could do to help Bobby walk. This last doctor had been very kind, but he was also very blunt when he said the Bobby would never walk and that he did not believe Modern Medicine would ever reach the point within his lifetime to help Bobby. He had explained to Bobby’s parents that there just was no medical procedure that could grow new muscles even if he could straighten the bones in Bobby’s legs.

Now because of some chance meeting on the Ohio Turn Pike’s Rest Stop, Bobby had run into a small blind girl in a pink dress who already knew who Bobby was and she also knew of his problems. She even knew what the doctor had just told them. She tells Bobby that today will be one of the happiest days of his life. Within an hour or less Bobby not only walked, he also run as if he had been doing so just as any normal child would have been doing since he was a baby.

The physical evidence of overwhelming as Bobby’s legs had not been restored they had been completely rebuilt. Bobby had normal legs as if he never had a problem in the first place. The arrival of the Evens family at the Parsonage of St Bernard’s Catholic Church caught Father Borcowski totally by surprise. The fact that Bobby walked in to his Office was absolutely unbelievable.

Father Borcowski listened very intensely so he would understand all the details of the incident. The Good Father left the Evens Family in the den while he fortified himself with a good belt of Jack Daniels before he called the Archbishop's office and reported what happened. Father Borcowski knew that such things as miracles were a little beyond his level of expertise or as some government official would say that was beyond my pay grade. The Archbishop on the other hand would have people who would know how to handle this matter correctly. Father Borcowski also knew that this event, needed to be completely investigated and thoroughly documented as the results of what had taken place could only have been a Supernatural occurrence that exceeded the known Laws of Nature and Science, in other words it was a real Miracle.

Fortunately, it was still early enough in the day that someone in the Archbishop’s Office would be coming out and interview the Evens and get their stories down on paper and on tape recordings while all the details were still fresh in everyone's mind.

A report of a possible miracle caused quite a stir in the Archbishop's Office’s as most of the staff in Diocese knew about Bobby's condition and the number of financial drives that had been conducted throughout the Diocese to help fix Bobby's legs. If that Boy was up walking and running around it surely had to have been a miracle.

When the three Priests from the Archdiocese arrived at Saint Bernard’s Parish Rectory they came with a significant amount of personal and professional knowledge about Bobby and all the operations that he had underwent. Bobby Evens condition was common knowledge throughout the Diocese as even several Councils of the Knights of Columbus had conducted joint financial appeals for the benefit of the Evens boy.

Monsignor Grossman led the team of three investigators with Father Peters who was also a Medical Doctor and Father Fisher who was the Archbishop’s Senior Parish Coordinator and the Ecclesiastical Counsel for the Diocese. Father Peters who was very familiar with Bobby’s pervious condition examine Bobby's legs first. He found all the previous scars on Bobby's legs from all the failed operations were still there. But now under all those scars were straight and functioning tendons in perfect alignment. Bobby’s muscles were also full of healthy tissue just like any other boy’s legs would be at his age.

Father Peters had copies of all the previous X-Rays taken on Bobby’s legs. These images presented his former condition where his legs showed the twisted and gnarled on tendons, ligaments and the atrophied muscles which were only a shadow of what they should be. Had the scar tissue not matched the scars on Bobby’s legs it could have been said that these X-Rays were not his.

Father Fisher had the boy jump up and down and run around the room and Bobby did so without any difficulties. Father Fisher was the Parish School’s Baseball Team Coach and he could read that boy's mind that he had a young man who was going to make a great Shortstop even if it killed him.

Monsignor Grossman was very concerned about the possibility of spiritual intervention by something other than the goodness of the Lord. He questioned the boy several times but Bobby's story remained the same and was just as consistent as what he had first told his mother and father at the Rest Stop on the Ohio Turn Pike.

After their initial examination was over Bobby and his parents were exhausted and they just wanted to end the day and go home. Monsignor Grossman suggested that before they went home that they hold a small Service to thank the Good Lord for providing Bobby with this miracle as that was the only possible explanation to what had taken place.

Monsignor Grossman having the most experience in dealing with the reporting of Miracles understood that such events which purported Supernatural phenomena, were usually all frauds or some form of not yet understood hysteria. There was also the third possibility that of Demonic possession. He recalled one of the most notorious instance of simulated sacred experiences in the annals of Catholicism, involved a Franciscan nun named Magdalena of the Cross. This sixteenth Century woman lived in Spain during the same period as the most important visionary in the history of the Catholic Church, Saint Teresa of Avila.

Magdalena's body held the five wounds of Christ, called the stigmata and her public levitations produced an enormous sensation along with her dramatic ecstasies and prophecies. The woman was hypnotic, a genuine mystic which many important church members came to investigate. A Convent was founded around her and she was named as the Abbess. She allegedly existed for years without so much as a single bit of solid food. Only on her deathbed did she admit that it all had been a hoax. The five wounds of Christ were self-inflected. Her levitations and her ability to know the future were real but they had come by Satan, in exchange for her soul. On her deathbed, the nun received the Rite of Exorcism.

For over three hundred years, she has served the Church as a symbol of Satan's powers and as our human gullibility into things, which appear supernatural. The existence of visions, ecstasies and manifestations of the supernatural could come from either God or Satan the great deceiver. Things like an unsound mind of mental illness or a diabolical ruse could produce unexplained incidents. No true miracle could ever be produced by the works of the Devil.

Since Monsignor Grossman had the highest regard towards the Evens Family and his own knowledge of spiritual things, he believed that a simple Religious Service would confirm the true origin of Bobby's cure.

Father Borcowski held a special Communion Service in the church with the whole Evens family kneeling around the Main Alter. Father Borcowski blessed them with Holy Water and once the Service was finished he sent the Evens home while the Priests returned to the Parish Rectory at Saint Bernard’s. They knew that they had a lot of questions to ask themselves before they made any Official report to the Archbishop or to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome.

The fact that the Communion Service had gone without incident and there were no difficulties in blessing them all with Holy Water was the bases of Monsignor Grossman’s opinion that the healing if it was indeed the result of a miracle was the work of ‘good’ rather than anything evil. The other priests held their own opinions as to the nature of the healing as none of them were Experts in the Supernatural or Miracles of Divine Intervention.

It was a quarter to one in the morning in Ohio. With the City of Rome and the Vatican being seven hours ahead of them in time the Priests at Saint Bernard’s agreed that they should make a phone call and alert the Prefect of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints of the possible miracle that had taken place on one of their parishioner’s children here at St Bernard’s.

The Priests started to question what jurisdiction the miracle was in. The four priests agreed that this contact with Rome should be handled with extreme caution, as their Archbishop was from the very old school in which he believed that miracles just did not happen without some significant reason and the whole idea of some little blind girl passing out miracles on the Ohio Turn Pike was beyond the absurd.

He would take the position that when the final truth of the matter was determined, there would be a simple explanation that would be logical rather than something Supernatural. On the other side of the coin, Father Borcowski and the three other Priest from the Archbishop's office believed that they were witnesses to something beyond the normal or natural conditions. They felt that they were obligated to proceed with the basic investigation. They would be going with the Evens Family the next day to Bobby's regular Doctor.

It was 8 am in Rome when Monsignor Jerry Gettlemen, the Under-secretary for the Congregation for the Cause of Saints answered the telephone call from the United States. The Monsignor spoke at great lengths with Monsignor Grossman. Then he talked with the Parish Priest Father Borcowski about the Miracle that took place on a young boy's legs while he and his family were coming back from seeing a Medical Specialist up in New York who believed he could do nothing medically to help Bobby.

The Specialist in New York told Bobby and his parent that he could not do anything for him and he called all the past surgeries of medical intervention pure butchery that offered nothing but pain and false hope. The family had stop at a Rest Stop on the Ohio Turn Pike and this little blind girl had talked briefly with Bobby. She told him that today would be one of the happiest days in his life. Then within an hour the boy was walking and running like any other boy his age. Monsignor Gettlemen asked a number of questions and specifically told Monsignor Grossman what documentation he needed to obtain from the Medical Authorities on this Case.

Monsignor Grossman informed the Monsignor in Rome of their plans to see the boy's regular Doctor and he would get copies of all his files along with his evaluation of Bobby's current condition. It was suggested that when Bobby was examined by his normal Doctor he should get the Doctor’s permission to Videotape the entire examination and witness it himself if possible.

Mr Evens called Father Borcowski and inform him that the Doctor's appointment was scheduled for 10:30 the next morning. Doctor Arnold Dorset had been Bobby's Attending Physician since he was born.

The next morning when Bobby came walking into Doctor Dorset's office, the good doctor almost fell out of his chair. Something like this does not happen every day especially in a case like Bobby's where his muscles and ligaments had been so twisted and gnarled as part of his birth defect.

Once Doctor Dorset overcame his initial shock he was more than willing to conduct a complete examination for the Congregation for the Causes for Saints in Rome. The video camera recorded his exam as this was approaching medical history. Bobby sitting in his shirt and jockey shorts smiled into the camera. He repeated his name, address and stated how long he had been unable to walk.

While Doctor Dorset conducted his physical examination, Bobby was telling his story with the Video Camera running. He told the same story about the little blind girl that he met at the Rest Stop on the Ohio Turn Pike and by the time they had finished their lunch he had gone to the restroom and used the facilities but instead of coming out in his wheelchair he walked out pushing it.

Doctor Dorset wanted to know what made Bobby think that he could walk. Bobby was not sure other than when he remembered looking over at the sink that was only a few steps away and he just thought that he should be able to reach that sink. It never occurred to him that he had never done this before and before he knew it he had done it, Bobby told his doctor. I was so surprise to see myself standing up in the mirror that I thought that I had to be dreaming. But there I was with my Baseball Cap standing next to the sink washing my hands. My baseball glove was sitting on the seat of the wheelchair and the whole restroom looked different since I was standing up and seeing everything from my own two feet. Bobby told his doctor as Doctor Dorset hit Bobby's knees with a rubber hammer to check his reflexes, which appeared to be normal.

I still wasn't a 100% sure that I was not dreaming since I had wanted to walk so badly but I would not allow myself to sit back down in that wheelchair even if it was only a dream. So, I pushed the wheelchair back out into the dining room where the rest of my family were still sitting. It was when my mother and dad started to make a fuss about me pushing the wheelchair that I knew I was not dreaming and I was really walking. Bobby told Doctor Dorset and his words continued to be recorded.

It would take a few days for this Video and the Medical reports to reach Rome, but as far as Monsignor Grossman was concerned they had completed the initial investigation and it was now the responsibility of Rome to deal with it.

Chapter Five

The News Media had picked up the Miracle Story from the Rest Stop Restaurant waitress on the Ohio Turn Pike. She had served the Evens family their lunch and she had written down the Mr Evens address and his phone number so she could call him collect if she had any new information.

The local Radio Stations first picked up on the event within an hour after it had been reported. The TV and other News Media personal had headed for the Evens place as quickly as they could. By the time the Evens got home from the Parish, they found their whole front yard filled with News Media types. All three major News Networks were represented with their large Communications Vans and there were a several local Radio Stations with dozens of Newspaper people representing all the Major Newspaper’s. They were all hoping to get a special News item that they could use on their Station’s channel or in their Newspaper.

They all wanted to be first to hear the inside story of what really happened. Mr Evens knew that these people would not just go away. He informed them that Bobby would give them a short report of what had taken place, what he had experienced and then he would answer a few questions until the questions were just duplicates of earlier questions that he had already answered.

Mr Evens than asked for their agreement to his conditions before he would allow his son to be interviewed. He also made it clear that if the Press did not agree or if the News Media became unruly he would terminate the interview. There would be no exclusive interviews. They would all be treated equally, or not at all.

Bobby was a real trooper in front of all those cameras and microphones. He told his story the same story that he had told his mother and Dad when they first saw him walking. Bobby described the little blond blind girl the best he could.

When the news media started pushing for answers that Bobby didn't have, Mr Evens warned them that the interview was about to come to a screeching halt if they did not follow the simple rules he had outline in granting this interview in the first place. The interviews finally ended and Bobby went inside their home to close out the event for the day. The Evening news carried the Story and announced the appointment with Doctor Dorset the following day. Doctor Dorset was reported to have been Bobby's attending physician since Bobby was born.

Chapter Six

Monsignor Jerry Gettlemen a native from Chicago had been elevated to his current position based on several recommendations of made by Bishops, Archbishops and Cardinals while he was the Pastor of Saint Anne parish which is one of largest Parishes in the Chicago. His Archbishop had come to the daily Mass that Jerry would be saying every morning at 6 am. After the Mass was over his Archbishop met him in the sacristy while Jerry was taking off his vestments.

Jerry had been a rising Star within the Catholic Church as he had been first in all four years in his class at the Major Seminary and then he moved on to pick up his Masters in Theology before his assignment as a Parish Priest. Jerry had also branched out into Canon Law and as well as Civil Law in which he demonstrated his unique ability to transfer Ecclesiastic Law to Civil law and eventually into secular laws.

Jerry was one dynamite Priest with his Law Degree. It did not take the Catholic Church very long to realize Jerry's Service should not be limited to a single parish and that he had the potential of performing a greater universal responsibility to the entire world wide Religious community.

He was first elevated to a Monsignor and then after his promotion he was selected by the Vatican as the Under-Secretary for the Congregation of the Causes of Saints. Jerry found the work exciting and he relished the opportunity to witness the working of Divine Providence.

At first Jerry believed his inability to fall asleep was due to the excitement of his work, but after several months falling asleep was no longer a problem but what he was experiencing when he did sleep became even more troublesome. Jerry was being plagued with some of the most horrible dreams that anyone could experience. Although his dream could start in different ways they would