“Oh, no,” said the doctor. “Your limp will scarcely be noticeable.”
“Then I guess I’ll get on my job,” said Zaidos, unconsciously quoting the boys at school.
“What’s that?” asked the doctor.
“Why,” said Zaidos, “I planned to go back to New York after all this was over, and study medicine.”
“Couldn’t do a better thing,” said the doctor heartily. “That’s the best thing you could possibly do. Nurse Helen has told me something about you, and I will say that I think you have planned wisely and well. If you had ties of family in this part of the world, it might be a different matter. No one has any right to carve out his destiny without some reference to the people nearest him. ‘Honor thy father and thy mother’ holds good to-day as well as it did when the old patriarchs walked the earth. And I’m not sure it isn’t needed now more than it was then, when the scheme of life was simpler. Only now we usually have a few sisters and brothers, and perhaps an unmarried aunt or two to consider. But you are all alone, are you not?”
“Yes,” said Zaidos. “I couldn’t be more alone without being gone myself. I have lots of friends in school and I know a fellow in England; and so it’s not so bad.”
“No,” said the doctor. “I should call it very good. And you have already found out, Zaidos, that sometimes blood relations fail a man.
“I think I will write out a discharge for you, and as soon as you can move you had better get away, and move toward the first seaport where you can get an American ship. I will pull all the wires I can. You had a pretty bad fever, my boy. You need a change, and you need it soon. I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, lie still and get your strength together. Things are frightfully crowded, but a lot of supplies and more nurses have been promised. Has Nurse Helen told you any news?”
“No,” said Zaidos, “not a thing. About the hospital, do you mean, doctor?”
“Not exactly,” said the doctor, smiling. “Just some little plans of her own.”