Picket Fences! Part 20 
Joy soon arrived at Buford Falls Hospital and went into Joyce's room. Her mother
looked so pale, her skin almost blending into the bedsheets.
Joy sit in the chair beside the bed.
"Mom, how are you feeling?", she asked.
"Tired", said Joyce.
"It's probably the medicine the doctor gave you", said Joy, "You'll feel better soon."
Dr. Brian entered the room.
"You mother needs to rest. I've given her something to make her sleep", said Dr. Brian, "She'll feel better in a few days."
"I'm so relieved to hear that. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to her", said Joy.
"There's not really anything you can do for her here. You need to go on home. Come back tomorrow afer she and you both have had some rest", he said.
So Joy did what the doctor ordered and left to go home.
Meanwhile, over at Joy's house . . .
Rhys and Kevin were in the nursery playing with the Noah's Ark . . .
When Arlene came home from school.
She got a snack and turned on the television. She hadn't even noticed that her mother wasn't home.
Rhys put Kevin in his crib for his afternoon nap.
He walked into the livingroom where Arlene was reading a book.
She looked up when she heard footsteps.
"Hey, aren't you Mr. Sawyer who lives across the street?", she asked.
"Yeah that's me", he said, "But you can call me Rhys."
"What are you doing in my house?", she asked.
"Your mother had to go someplace and asked me to stay with Kevin", he explained. (He didn't tell her where Joy had gone. He figured it was better to let Joy tell her about her grandmother herself.)
"Hey, look at the time", he said.
"I got to go home", he said.
Rhys left to get home before the schoolbus dropped off Ryan . . .
And Arlene suddenly found herself daydreaming about her goodlooking neighbor across the street.
Just a little while after Rhys got home Ryan came home from school.
The telephone started ringing and Ryan answered it.
"Hello", he said.
"Ryan, this is Mary. What are you doing?"
"I just got home from school. I ain't had time to do nothing yet", he said.
"Me neither", she said, "Well, I'll see you at school tomorrow. Bye!"
"Bye Mary", he said.
"Who was that?", asked Rhys.
"Just some girl from my class", said Ryan.
"What did she want?", asked Rhys.
"She didn't want nothing. I don't know why she even called me", he said.
"Maybe she just wants to be friends", said Rhys.
"But she's a girl Dad", said Ryan.
"So, some of my best friends are girls", said Rhys.
"Dad, Mary's best friend Heather told me that Mary thought I was a drooly guy. Is that good?", asked Ryan.
"A drooly guy means you're cute. I reckon that's why she likes you so much", said Rhys.
(drooly guy is 1940's slang for cute guy)
"Dad, girls are silly, ain't they?", Ryan asked.
"Yeah, I guess they are, but it makes it easier for us drooly guys ", laughed Rhys.
"Makes what easier?", asked Ryan.
"Ask we again when you're a teenager", said Rhys.
Back over at Joy's house, she has returned home from the hospital.
On a whim she decided to cut her hair and try a new style she saw in the lastest issue of McCall's magazine.
Now that she thought more about it, she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. Well, she'd just have to live with it.
"Where did you go today?", asked Arlene, "Rhys said you had to go somewhere, but he didn't say where", said Arlene.
"You mean Mr. Sawyer?", asked Joy.
"He said I could call him Rhys", Arlene said.
"Grandma is in the hospital. I went to see her. Don't worry, she's going to be fine in a few days", said Joy.
"Thank goodness", said Arlene.
"I'm sorry I was late getting home. I hope Rhys didn't frighten you by being here", said Joy.
"No, he didn't frighten me Mom. I knew who he was. I've seen him around the neighborhood", said Arlene.
"Arlene, will you do me a favor and not mention to your father that Rhys was here?", said Joy, "He might get the wrong idea."
"Yeah, sure Mom. Mum's the word", said Arlene.
Then Larry came home from work and . . .
Kevin ran over to him and asked for attention. Larry gave the toddler a "Family Kiss" and talked to him.
"I'll give Kevin his bath and put him to bed", said Arlene.
"Tell Mama and Daddy goodnight Kevin", she said.
"Sure", said Kevin, "Nite nite."
After Arlene finished Kevin's bath . . .
She held him up to the mirror, so he could see himself.
"He doesn't look much like my brother", she thought to herself, noticing how different she and Kevin looked.
Then she put Kevin in his crb and kissed him goodnight.
"Larry, my mom is in the hospital", said Joy, "Dr. Brian said she had a slight heart attack."
"Is she going to be alright?", he asked.
"Yes, I think so. When I went over there today, Dr, Brian said if she stayed in the hospital a few days and rested, she'd feel better", said Joy.
"Well, that's good. I'm glad she's going to be alright", he said.
"I need to call MaryLou and ask if she can stay with Kevin tomorrow", said Joy.
"MaryLou, my mom's in the hospital. She had a slight heart attack. Will you stay with Kevin tomorrow while I go visit her?"
"Of course, you know I will", said MaryLou, "I'll come over as soon as Julie leaves for school. And if there's anything else I can do, let me know."
"Is she going to be able to stay again tomorrow?", asked Larry, presuming that MaryLou had stayed with Kevin today.
"It was only until Arlene came home from school. MaryLou won't mind staying again", said Joy, going along with his presumption.
"You must be tired, I'll order a pizza for supper, so you won't have to cook", said Larry.
Larry called Delivery and ordered a pizza.
"That will be $40", she said.
"That will be fine", said Larry.
"Thank you. Your pizza will be there shortly", she said.
Arlene accepted the delivery when the girl came.
"I can probably get off work early tomorrow, if you need me to go with you to the hospital", said Larry.
"No, that's alright. You can visit Mom when she goes home. We really can't afford for you to take the time off", said Joy.
"Is Grandma going to be able to stay by herself when she does go home?", asked Arlene.
"I don't know. I'll ask Dr. Brian tomorrow", said Joy.
Joy and Larry went to bed and were soon sound asleep.
But Arlene laid awake until the wee hours of the morning, thinking about the drooly guy across the street.
To be continued . . .
Subject: Picket Fences! Part 20 
Wed Apr 11, 2012 1:36 am
I like Joy's new hair style, all the curls are pretty. But Joy is still keeping a lot of secrets from Larry and that can't be a good thing. I loved Arlene's saddle shoes. Kevin is very cute. I'm wondering about Arlene and Rhys--now wasn't she thinking similar thoughts about a teen friend, a little while back in a past chapter? Thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to the next part. Lilly 