Time for Andrew by Mary Downing Hahn Read Free Book Online Page A

Nothing had changed. I was still in Andrew's bed. The man was his father. I should have recognized him from the pictures Aunt Blythe had shown me.
    Mrs. Tyler appeared in the doorway. "I heard Andrew cry out," she said. "Is anything wrong?"
    "The boy didn't know me," Mr. Tyler said. "My own son was afraid of me."

    Mrs. Tyler squeezed her husband's arm. "Don't worry, Henry. The fever has left Andrew weak, easily confused, forgetful. Dr. Fulton assures me a little rest is all he needs."
    Mr. Tyler wasn't so sure. "There's something different about him. His eyes..." The sentence trailed off into uncertainty, and he turned away.
    Mrs. Tyler followed him, but Hannah lingered. "I'll bring a tray up later," she promised. "I hope you're hungry. Mama fixed roast chicken especially for you." Giving me a quick lass, she left the room.

    Hours later, I eased out of bed. The hall clock was chiming midnight. In the woods behind the house, frogs croaked and crickets chirped. Otherwise, there was no sound. Wrapped in blankets of silence, the house slept.
    I tiptoed slowly up the attic steps. At the top, I peered into the darkness, hoping to see Andrew. There was no sign of him. I was alone.
    "Andrew?" I whispered, "Andrew?"
    No one answered. I waited a few seconds and called again, a little louder this time. An owl hooted. Mice rustled under the eaves. Buster barked. But Andrew didn't come.
    Afraid of waking the Tylers, I crept back down the stairs. From their round frame, the three horses watched me crawl into bed. Pulling the quilt over my head, I cried myself to sleep.

    Several days later, Dr. Fulton dropped by for another visit. He took my pulse and my temperature. He examined
my throat, my ears, my nose. He listened solemnly to my chest.

    "Fresh air is what you need, my boy," he said.
    I shook my head, but my protests did no good. In seconds, Mrs. Tyler had my nightshirt off. Sitting me up, she dressed me as if I were a floppy rag doll, too weak to do anything for myself.
    Once my shoes were laced and tied, Mrs. Tyler put her hands on my shoulders to steady me. "Are you strong enough to walk?"
    I gripped the bannister and started slowly down the steps. Mrs. Tyler hovered by my side, but Dr. Fulton assured her I was fit as a fiddle.
    "Don't mollycoddle him, Mildred. You'll spoil him."
    In the hall, I glimpsed a boy in the mirror. He wore a baggy white shirt and knee-length pants. For a moment, I wasn't sure whose reflection it was—mine or Andrew's.
    Dr. Fulton opened the screen door and ushered me to the swing. "Take a seat right there, Andrew."
    Without thinking, I said, "Everything looks so nice. You painted the porch and cut the grass. The ivy's gone, somebody trimmed the wisteria. But the highway, the cars—"
    Mrs. Tyler and Dr. Fulton were staring at me, their faces puzzled. I shut my eyes. Just as I feared, I'd given myself away.
    The swing creaked as Mrs. Tyler sank down beside me. Pulling me close, she whispered, "It's all right, dear. Things look different when you've been away from them even for a short time."
    Dr. Fulton cleared his throat. "I don't know what you're up to, Andrew, but I won't have you teasing your mother. You've caused her enough worry as it is."
    "I wasn't teasing." Scared to look at him, I stared at the stiff, shiny shoes on my feet. Andrew's, of course. I'd seen them in his photograph.

    Dr. Fulton regarded me solemnly. "Rest," he said, "and get plenty of fresh air. Eat wholesome food, drink milk, take your tonic. And behave yourself."
    After the doctor left, Mrs. Tyler went into the house. In a few moments, Hannah came outside carrying a tray.
    "Milk and cookies for the convalescent," she said, "and the latest adventure of Frank Merriwell."
    Hannah put the tray on a table and sat down in the swing beside me. Opening
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she began to read aloud. I'd already heard three stories about Frank. In each one, he was challenged to perform a courageous deed, but I always fell asleep before he