He looked over at her, she was crying.  “What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking about those young girls.  Five of them have lost legs.  They will have to live without one leg.”

“You are.”

“But that’s different.”

“How are they different from you?”

“They’re younger.”

“What difference does that make?  They have to live with it the same as you, the rest of their lives.  They can crawl into a hole and whine or face life and enjoy it.”

She looked at him.  “I guess so.”

Tears filled his eyes, “I wish they would get this guy soon.  I don’t know how many more amputations I can handle this year.”

“But you like how an amputee looks, don’t you?”

“I like how you look, before your amputation, after your amputation.  But I wouldn’t have asked you to have it cut off.  I can enjoy what is, I don’t want to see more pain.”

“I’m fearful that we have not seen the last of this.”

“You’re probably right.”

Dean Sadler pulled the mail out of the box.  It was there, the letter from Florida.  He went inside and opened it.  After reading the documentation he handed it to Helen.  “I’m going to call them and see about the surgery.  I can’t go on like this.”

“But I’m afraid of you having more surgery.”

“I’ll be fine.”

He picked up the phone and dialed the number.  When he finished the call he turned to her.  “We need to get my records together and mail them.  I can’t have the surgery for five weeks, they want me to be in better condition and have more time between surgeries.  I think we’ll take a train down to Florida a week early, do some vacationing, and go for the surgery.  How does that sound?”

“Well.”

“I’ll be there about another two weeks, then we take the train home.”

If you wish to read more of this novel click on the link below.  It is the first chapter and it contains links to the other chapters. 

The Night Sniper Chapter One: On the Beat

The Night Sniper: Ch. 033 Paul Merris Meets Dr. Barton

The Night Sniper: Ch. 035 The Lineup with the Parking Lot Attendant