The Pinballs by Betsy Byars

“Listen, everything will be all right,” she said. “I promise it will.” Then she turned to Thomas J and said, “Come on, the nurse’ll be chasing us out of here with hypodermic needles in a minute.”
    They walked down the hall and out the front door of the hospital. “Well, Thomas J, you and me are failures at being cheerer-uppers.”
    â€œI always have been,” he said.
    â€œWell, I haven’t. I expected better of myself.” Carlie pulled her shoulders back. “Listen, all night you think of funny things to say and talk about, and I’ll do the same. Tomorrow we’ll be funny enough to go on ‘Hollywood Squares.’”
    â€œI won’t.”
    She turned and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Listen, tomorrow we are going to say funny things and I mean it. Right?”
    â€œRight,” Thomas J answered.

22
    It was Thursday night and Harvey was worse. Now he wouldn’t even speak to anyone. The nurses had started feeding him through a tube in his arm.
    Harvey’s father had come on Wednesday and sat with him for over an hour. He had told the doctors in a loud voice that money was no object. He told them they could spend whatever they had to and he would foot the bill. He said he had just gotten a contract to build an eight-unit town house.
    â€œWe’re doing all we can now,” one of the doctors had answered.
    Carlie was furious when she heard about it. “You mean they let that rotten bum come in Harvey’s room?”
    â€œIt’s his father, Carlie.”
    â€œWhoo, next thing you know they’ll be letting germs and viruses in.”
    That night when everyone was in bed at the Mason house, Carlie got up. She slipped into Thomas J’s room and shone a flashlight in his face. “You asleep?”
    He put his hand up to block out the light. “No, I was just lying here thinking.”
    â€œAbout Harvey?”
    â€œYeah. I’m used to him being on the bottom bunk and shifting around and all. I can’t get to sleep without him. It’s too quiet.”
    â€œMe either. Now, listen, I got an idea. You want to go in cahoots with me?”
    Thomas J wasn’t sure what that was, but he said, “I’d be glad to.”
    â€œAll right, look, I went through the newspaper after supper and guess what I found in the ads!”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œLook, it’s right here.” She shone the light on the folded newspaper. “Can you read it?”
    Thomas J bent closer to the paper. Carlie was too impatient to wait for his eyes to focus. She read it herself. “Puppies free to good homes!”
    â€œPuppies?”
    â€œYeah, Thomas J, we’re going to go right over there first thing in the morning and get Harvey a puppy.”
    Thomas J couldn’t seem to take it in. “A puppy ?”
    â€œYeah, he’s always wanted one—remember? It was the first thing on his list. And it’ll cure him, Thomas J, I know it will. Why, if I was in the hospital half-dead and somebody hooked a floating opal around my neck, I’d get up and do the hula.” She broke off. “And the best part is they’re free. See? Free to good homes.”
    â€œBut is this a good home?”
    â€œIf it’s good enough for us, it’s good enough for a dog, isn’t it?”
    â€œWhat about Mrs. Mason though? She might get mad.”
    â€œI’ll take all the responsibility. I’m used to people being mad at me. It doesn’t bother me a bit. I’ll say I forced you to come with me and—”
    â€œNo, I want to come on my own. She can get mad at me too.”
    â€œAll right then, after breakfast we’ll go over to Woodland Circle—wherever that is—and we’ll take a shopping bag—see, we’ll have to sneak him into the hospital—and we’ll pick out a puppy and take him over to the hospital and pull him out and sing