Swallow on the Wing Part Eight “How is he doctor, can we see him?” Wide-eyed Beth whispered, the moment they had introduced themselves, and given Devin some identity. “Its best that you do, just to see if you recognise him,” the doctor told them grave faced, “But only his wife. And you must be prepared. I don’t know what his weight was before, but now he is several stones under what he should be. And he is still unconscious.” “Do you know why?” Catherine asked, having been allowed by both Father and Vincent to accompany Beth to the hospital on this momentous occasion. “Yes, he is suffering from malnutrition, anaemia and worst of all pleurisy. You will see a lot of apparatus around and attached to him, don’t let this worry you, it is necessary, so are the drips, and until he is awake, they will stay on him. I don’t need to tell you, if those boys hadn’t of found him when they did, he wouldn’t be here now. That was such a cold night, even out of the wind, I don’t think he would have woken the next morning.” Catherine nodded gravely, if they hadn’t of spent so long at the police station that afternoon, they would have been the ones to find him, and then the story would have been different. But as far as his health was concerned, did they have the means Below to have saved him? In many respects none of it dared thinking about. “I’ll be out here if you should need me” Catherine told Beth, as she took a seat outside of intensive care. Beth nodded, allowing the doctor to take her elbow and lead her into the room. Devin was the only patient inside, and Beth’s face filled with horror as she walked across to where he lay. She could barely nod, as the doctor asked, “Is this your husband?” Her heart went out to this lone figure surrounded by machines. The main feature was the three scars upon his cheek. Now with his skin tight across his cheekbones, the scars stretched, and stood out boldly. Beth reached out a hand, and stroked a lock of hair away from Devin’s eyes, remembering with a rush of love how she had done that the last time she had seen him sleeping, beside her the morning that he vanished. How she wished it were that morning now, and none of this had ever happened. Though she had now met his family and loved them, she would gladly have known none of it, just to have had Devin safe and well with her back at the park, with none of this nightmare ever to have taken place. The doctor brought a chair up to the bed, between the machines, “Sit here Mrs. Wells, only take care not to touch any of the wires. I think it might be an idea if you were to hold his hand and talk to him. He will be able to hear you, and it might make him wake sooner.” Beth sat upon the chair, reaching out to take one of Devin’s hands, noticing how thin the fingers were, how the tendons bulged upon the back of his hand and his wrists. “Devin,” she whispered, “Its me Beth.” The response was immediate, a monitor started to bleep and wavy lines appeared on a screen which before had registered a thin green line. “What happened?” Beth asked the doctor, searching his face. He was smiling. “That machine registers brain activity. There has been nothing on it until now, keep talking to him.” Beth stroked Devin’s hand, “Honey, I’m so glad I’ve found you. I didn’t know where to look and so I put an ad in the New York Times, and then Jack paid for another, asking for your family to contact me, and Catherine flew out to Mombassa to see me. I’ve been living Below Devin, and I’ve met all of your family. Devin, I've met all of them.” The doctor was impressed, as the lines upon the monitor gathered momentum, and beneath her hand, Beth felt a tiny movement from Devin’s, did he just squeeze her hand? Looking at the doctor, she told him, “From what you told us, I thought we wouldn’t get any response from him for days, weeks even, this is remarkable don’t you think.” The doctor could only agree. “We’ve been pumping medication into him since he was brought in, and glucose, I never expected anything quite so soon as this though, keep talking to him.” Beth searched her husband’s face, “There’s something I’d like to do more.” she told the doctor, then without waiting for a response, she raised herself, leaned forward and kissed Devin’s lips. The monitor went wild. Beth laughed aloud, “Oh Devin wake up, open your eyes honey, there’s so much to talk about.” Almost instantly, Devin’s eyelids fluttered, and he turned his head, as a smile started to tease his lips, before he whispered, “Beth.” Beth’s eyes glistened with tears, as she told him, “Oh Devin, I’ve missed you so much, I’d begun to think we would never find you.” “I’ll be outside if you need me”, the doctor told her, leaving the re-union, with tears in his own eyes. Outside Catherine stood up as he closed the door, “What’s happened?” Catherine could see by his expression that something had, and he smiled deeply at her, “Mr. Wells, has just woken, he is talking to his wife.” Catherine sat down again and sighed with relief, “Does that mean everything will be okay now?” “We’re not out of the woods yet, but it’s a good sign that his anaemia has left him. The pleurisy will be the worst to overcome, and up until prior to your visit he was wearing a face mask for oxygen, and we will replace it after you have gone, but I have to tell you I was astounded by how quickly he came round just then. As soon as he heard his wife’s voice, things started happening.” Catherine smiled, “That’s great news. Could I see him also?” “Perhaps. I’m just going to do my rounds, if Mrs. Wells is still with him when I return and Mr. Wells is not too tired, I’ll see about you going in there. Why don’t you go and get yourself a cup of tea while you wait?” Catherine nodded, “Actually, I think I’ll go and make some phone calls. Mr. Wells’, family are anxious about him.” The doctor grimaced, and concerned Catherine asked, “What?” “Don’t build up their hopes yet that’s all?” “Do you think there could be a relapse?” wide-eyed Catherine could not believe this to be so. “There is always the possibility, and until he can tell us where he has been these past three and a half months, and the conditions he’s been under, we won’t know if we are treating everything. Please just be cautious that’s all. I’m sorry to sound so negative, but often it’s the best way.” “Then I’ll be as careful as I can when I speak with them, but just hearing that he knows his wife for now is enough, she has been frantic about him.” The doctor nodded, “The telephone is in the recreation room. Its on wheels, so if it’s not private enough, just take it along to a quite corner someplace and use it there.” “Thank you.” Catherine told him. Back inside Intensive Care, Devin was indeed very weak, he found talking difficult, but Beth, was thankful to see, he had little trouble with smiling, or squeezing her hand, and she was able to get a few words out of him. “Honey, did you try to get back to me?” “Yes.” “Why did you leave Devin? I needed you, the baby was coming.” Devin drew his brows together, and when he couldn’t reply, Beth went on, “I went into labour while you were outside burying Bob. When Jack came in later looking for you, the water’s had already broken, and the baby was well on her way, yes darling, its a little girl, she’s so beautiful.” Devin’s eyes misted over with tears, and he squeezed Beth’s hand tightly. Beth continued, “Jack raced for Laura, and the rest as they say is history.” “Where?” Devin tried to ask where his daughter was at that moment. Beth frowned, “Where what? What are you asking honey?” “Is she?” Devin managed, his voice croaky, and laboured. Beth smiled. “I can’t seem to prise her out of your Father’s arms Devin. He and Vincent take it in turns to look after her. Mary doesn’t even get a look in.” Devin managed a short rumble of laughter. Beth whispered, “Vincent is wonderful Devin. I wish you could have introduced us sooner, I have thoroughly enjoyed being with your family, but Vincent is a bonus.” Devin smiled, the tears lighting up his eyes again, he nodded, “he’s special.” He managed to say. “Yes.” Beth agreed wholeheartedly. A short silence lapsed, until Beth asked, “Devin why didn’t you go to see Vincent after all?” Devin shook his head from side to side, unable to speak. “You don’t know?” Beth asked. “No.” then struggling to speak, Devin managed, “Couldn’t remember.” Beth saw his anguish, felt his pain, and she didn’t want him to feel unhappy, “Try not to worry honey. All that is in the past now, nothing is lost and I have you back, that’s all that matters. When you are well enough you can tell us all that you can remember, until then try not to worry about it, I know none of this was pre-meditated, you weren’t well, but we didn’t know it at the time.” Devin smiled, he couldn’t think very well, but something clicked inside, that was the way he had come to conclude it, acting so out of character when he loved Beth so much and wanted to be with her at the birth, he had come to accept that whatever had been wrong with him out on the streets, had started long before his headlong flight off to America that fateful day. Devin closed his eyes, suddenly tired. What little news Beth had brought had already drained him. Beth leaned over and kissed his mouth again. “I’ll come back tonight honey, would you like me to bring the baby?” Devin’s eyes flew open at this, and a slow smile once again lit his eyes. “Yes.” he managed, before his eyes closed again just as quickly, and he fell into a deep sleep once more. *** *** *** From the moment the article had gone out in the paper, everyone was contacting Catherine with the news. First, when she went to her apartment, she found a pile of letters, one of which was from the police saying they believed the man found in the park was Mr. Wells. There was also one from the trucker suggesting the same thing, and Joe had sent word via the helper, that he thought it might be Jeff Radler in the hospital, but he didn’t appear to connect it with the missing persons article in the paper seeking Devin Wells. When Catherine thought about it, she could only assume that Joe had been too busy to read all the paper, because otherwise, with Beth telling him she and her husband Devin were visiting, and with her surname being Wells, he would ordinarily have picked up on that straight away. However, when Catherine telephoned to thank him for taking the time out to help, she found this was not the case. “I was only too pleased to help Cathy, you know I’d do anything for you.” “Yes I know Joe, that’s why I’m calling to show my appreciation.” “There is something you can fill me in on though?” “What’s that Joe?” “This guy, Jeff Radler, I mean as far as I know the only time you have ever met him was over ten years ago when he came to work for us. But I get the distinct impression that he means more to you than that. Besides, there is something else.” “Yes Joe?” “How many guys do you know with scars on their left cheek, that looks as though it were put there by a wild animal.” “Only one Joe.” “That’s what I thought. So if I were to conclude, that your sister in law’s husband Devin is the guy who has been advertised as missing, and that he and Jeff Radler were one and the same person, would I be right?” Catherine laughed, “Yes Joe.” “Hmm, I thought so, but I guess if I were to ask why this is so, you would tell me to mind my own business right?” Catherine laughed, “Actually on this occasion I’ll make an exception. Seeing how you helped and all that. True when I first met Jeff Radler at the office, it was the first time I’d seen him. But without going into details, one night I discovered him hanging around Vincent’s home, and when I described him to Vincent, I found out that Jeff Radler could be the brother of Vincent’s that had gone missing over twenty years earlier, and whom they had believed to be dead. Well one thing led to another, and that’s the way it turned out. Jeff was Devin, and his recent disappearance was due to him having anaemia and losing his memory.” Joe sighed, “That accounts for him not knowing me. And how is he now, have you seen him?” “Not myself, Beth has, she’s taking the baby tonight to meet him. The child was born the day he disappeared, he didn’t know anything about it. It’s going to be an emotional time for them, so I won’t see him for a couple of days yet.” “Give him my regards will you Cathy.” “Yes Joe, I will. Thank you.” “Think nothing of it,” he laughed, “but to think that he’s your brother in law, say does your Vincent look anything like him?” “Nothing at all Joe.” Catherine laughed. “But they’re brothers right?” “Not fleshly, Vincent was adopted.” “So its back to the drawing board again then.” He grinned. “How’s that Joe?” “Well one day Radcliffe you are going to let me meet this husband of yours, and until I do, I can only wonder what he looks like. And I haven’t got a clue.” Catherine took pity on him then, how must it look to never let them meet, “I’m sorry Joe, but few people get to see Vincent. However, just so you can build a better picture in your mind, I’ll tell you he has long golden hair, and the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen.” “Sounds like a woman.” Catherine laughed, “No, Joe far from it.” “Well Cathy, thanks for telling me, I feel a bit let down despite the description, won’t you let me meet Vincent?” “It’s not up to me Joe. I can’t.” “Okay Radcliffe, but one day right?” “Yes Joe, maybe one day. Who knows, miracles do happen.” “Do they Cathy...I’ve never had one happen to me yet. Vincent took away any chance I may have had of that.” he sighed, suddenly overcome with a sense of loss and sadness, “Goodnight Cathy.” “Goodnight Joe.” replacing the receiver, Catherine laid herself wearily down flat onto the bed. Maybe it was the tiredness, maybe it was the relief at finding Devin at last, or maybe it was her condition and her hormones, but suddenly Joe’s parting words had cut her deep, and she loved Vincent with all her heart. Nonetheless, she had never felt so melancholy before as she did at that moment. And gathering the pillow against her face she sobbed as though she might never stop. *** *** *** Despite what the doctor had warned, Devin made a remarkable recovery. Very soon all of his dear friends, and family, save Vincent had been to see him, and he loved his daughter with a fierce pride that left tears in everyone’s eyes. After some five weeks in hospital, the day finally came when Devin was declared fit enough to leave, and as far as the hospital were concerned, Devin and Beth would be returning to Mombassa, which they were, but first there was one place that Devin simply had to go. Someone he desperately needed to see. Vincent. Beth found her eyes filling with tears all over again, when Devin finally arrived Below, and catching sight of one another, he and Vincent fairly flung themselves into each other’s arms, and held on as if they would never let go. “I’ve missed you so much Vin." Devin told his brother, to which Vincent replied, “As I have you. Please tell me what became of you, I have only heard bits.” “I think the same goes for everyone. The staff at the hospital wouldn’t let anyone stay long enough to hear the whole story, and besides it took a while for it all to come back to me.” Devin looked around the chamber at all his dear friends and family and asked, “Should I tell you all now?” Father nodded, “Yes, if you think you have the energy Devin, don’t let us tire you.” “I’m okay, don’t worry.” Everyone took off their jackets, and found a seat, while Devin, with Claudia in the crook of one arm began his story. “I think it must have begun long before I left Mombassa. Looking back I think missing meals was the start of it.” “You missed meals!” Father was shocked, “Why?” It had always been drummed into all the tunnel dwellers never to miss vital meals. Lack of iron and vitamins, could cause dizzy spells, which could be fatal while living Below. “It was a necessity Father. Often the animals needed treatment, and simply there wasn’t enough money. I would give up my wages so that they could receive the care they needed. And when I did that, it meant obviously there was less for us, so we’d give up one meal a day until I got my next month’s money.” “Oftentimes”, Beth spoke up, “The same would occur the following month though, and the cycle would continue.” Devin nodded, “Yes, and then as Beth needed more food for the baby’s growth, I gave up another meal for her. I always told her I needed to lose weight, but many’s the time I was hungry.” Beth scrowled at him, “You should have said something Devin.” He shook his head, “I couldn’t. The baby meant everything to me. I didn’t want it to be born under nourished. Then the work load increased and the food decreased, and we ran out of water, and lived on fresh orange and lemon juice, until one of us had time to drive out to the nearest water-hole, or into the city. Water-hole’s are dangerous places, but I used to take Bob with me, he would bark every time he sensed a croc about to bite my head off as I bent down to collect some water.” Everybody gasped. “Needless to say, though the water-hole was nearest, I’d prefer to wait until we had time to get into the city, besides the water was cleaner or could be bought in bottles there. Anyway, for some time, I kept noticing I was forgetting things. Just small things, but important nonetheless. Jack covered up for me a lot of the time, and gave me a good ticking off I can tell you, especially the day I made my biggest mistake when I left the compound gates open. Nothing untoward happened, but that wasn’t the point, it could have, and Jack has several little children, if nothing had wandered in, one of them could have wandered out.” Devin shuddered, “I couldn’t believe how careless I’d been. And then there were the days when I was driving and feeling as if I was floating on air. Weird feelings, I knew I lacked sustenance but what could I do? Beth needed the extra calories, and I wasn’t about to tell her I did too. I thought I’d cope, and as soon as my next paycheque came in we’d get in plenty of supplies. Besides I used to always have a good breakfast, and every Sunday we made certain we had a roast with meat and a pudding. That was the highlight of my week I can tell you.” Beth groaned, she was feeling real bad. Devin smiled at her, “You weren’t to know honey. I did a pretty mean cover up job.” “I should have realised Devin, no-one can live on fresh air for that long. I’m sorry honey.” Devin squeezed her hand and continued the sorry tale, “Anyway, as I started forgetting things, so my mind started playing tricks on me. I found that my reflexes weren’t as good, or my concentration, Bob my dog, really came into his own then. He saved my life so many times from an elephant or a hippo charge, and I almost got whacked across my right cheek for a matching pair by a lioness one afternoon too.” Devin laughed at the memory and his joke. Bob had saved him yet again. “Who’d have thought that a little Welsh collie could have been a match for such wild creatures as those, but he fairly had them going in circles, he was so fast, despite his years. While he kept them occupied, I was able to make a run for it, or draw my gun. Either way, thanks to Bob, I lived to tell the tale.” he brushed a tear aside, “I don’t think I’ll ever find another like him.” he hesitated, withdrawn for a few minutes before continuing, “The morning Bob died, I simply lost it. So many things were coming in on me at once, and then seeing the lioness eating Bob’s body well that was the last straw, I shot her dead, and that rocked me to the core. Suddenly all kinds of junk bombarded my mind, things coming from no-where, and the lioness made me think of Vincent, and I thought for all I know, he too could be dead, and I was overwhelmed by a sense of longing for him. All I knew then was that when the baby arrived it would be impossible to go away and leave Beth alone to cope, I had to go before the baby arrived. I knew the birth was imminent, that’s why I didn’t dare go back to the lodge to see, I had to leave there and then or I’d never get another chance. I know that sounds selfish, and believe me no one could have punished me more than I have myself for doing that. Still I took the jeep and drove out of there intending to return the following day, just as soon as I’d satisfied myself about Vincent. Even while I was at the airport I kept getting seconds thoughts, but I’d got the ticket by then, and I told myself I’d be back in twenty-four hours. Stupid now when you think of it, to leave like that. I knew Beth needed me, and I’ll never forgive myself for not being there for her. when she needed me so badly. When I arrived at New Jersey, I hitched a lift, and the trucker told me he was making a delivery just past the Appalachian Mountains. I thought it must be fate. I’d left some stuff at the lodge there, so I asked him to drop me off. I went up to the lodge, collected the things, and it was on the journey back to New York, that everything went wrong. I was hitching a ride back, when these kids sped by leaning out the windows and calling me names. I took no notice, then the car slowed and I thought they were going to offer me a lift. Instead they all piled out, and came around me. They grabbed my bags. I remember trying to get the bags back, and I remember their laughter, but the next thing I knew was waking on the side of the road with a splitting headache. Someone was leaning over me, and asking if I was all right, and helped me into their car. My head felt as though it belonged to someone else, and they took me into the city and left me outside St. Vincent’s. I suppose they’d intended I went inside for treatment, but I couldn’t think why I was there, or who I was. The only thing that seemed to mean anything to me was the name of the hospital, the words Saint Vincent’s went round and round in my head for days. Thus begun the wandering. I had no money, well only a few dollars I’d found at the lodge, no clothing and no memory.” “Then how did you survive?” Vincent asked. “Handouts, stealing,” Devin shook his head, “When you are at the other end of the survival chain you will lower yourself to anything. I even searched through trashcans. The worst was that I did not know who I was. Yet something kept drawing me. The amount of times I must have come to the park, I couldn’t think why. One day I sat and watched some birds flying south for the winter and I felt like one of them. Somewhere deep inside me I had an instinct to go someplace, and didn’t know where, only that it meant the difference between survival and non-survival. And I kept seeing these blue eyes, but found myself mixed up, they seemed to be in varying directions. Of course I know now, that I was confusing Beth’s eyes with Vincent’s. Her eyes had been one of the things that had first drawn me to her, she reminded me so much of Vincent. I thought anyone with eyes like Vincent must have a beautiful spirit, and I was right.” Beth reached for his hand, “Thank you darling”, she told him, her eyes moist with tears. “One morning I found a place where people were living in cardboard boxes. It was a terrible place, but it was warm for a time. Once the cold weather came into its own, I couldn’t bare it. Then this guy came and called me Jeff, the name meant nothing to me. He brought me a meal, it was the first hot food I’d had in weeks. He kept telling me he knew me, but he couldn’t give me an address. Then he told me a woman had been searching for me, he told me her name, I didn’t know here, then he told me her married name, and that rang a bell. A very big bell I might add. It circled my head from then on, and I kept being drawn back to the park. I kept visualising things from the park, and the day I passed out in the drainage tunnel, I kept seeing the carousel and hearing the sound of Vincent’s laughter when he was a child. Inside the drainage tunnel I even remembered Vincent and I engraving our names above the lintel. I decided I’d rest there, thinking that when I awoke I’d remember more, and the rest as they say is history. To think Beth and Catherine were only minutes away on several occasions,” Devin shook his head, “So near yet so far, its frustrating when you think on it.” Everyone was nodding slowly, the times they had just missed one another, was too incredible for words. “But you’re here now.” Father told him when at last Devin’s story came to its conclusion, “And I for one am so glad everything turned out well. Devin I’ve never told you this, and perhaps its too late, but when you were missing I realised just what an old fool I’d been. You mean everything to me Devin, and I love you, I really do.” Devin was speechless, he couldn’t say a thing. He had waited all his life for those words. Perhaps Father was right, perhaps now was too late. He made up his mind never to treat his child the way Father had treated him, no matter how many children he had. Father’s eyes filled with tears as Devin lacked response, he would carry his guilt with him to the grave, how could he expect Devin to forgive him anyway? What he had done was brutal. And it had taken a near tragedy and some truth from other people, before he had been able to see what he’d thrown away. He was sorry, and he said so, “I’m so sorry Devin, if you could find it in your heart to forgive me I’d appreciate it, but I wouldn’t blame you if you couldn’t.” Devin looked at his Father long and hard, “Its probably too late for you and I, too much water gone under the bridge and all that, but if you could be there for Claudia as her grandfather, then maybe that would take away some of the hurt.” With tears in his eyes, Father nodded, “You can count on it.” “So, what will you do now?” Vincent asked him, a sob catching in his throat at the atmosphere that had developed. “Well if Beth is certain, then we will return to Mombassa. There is a great deal needs doing there. And I understand that she is eager to try out some ideas, thanks to you Vincent.” Beth’s eyes brightened, “Vincent has been wonderful. I have learnt so much from him.” “As I have from you. What you brought here Beth, what you gave to me, was a treasure beyond price. And thanks to you Catherine and I now have long discussions about my deepest feelings, you don’t know what a relief it is to actually be able to share them with someone. No disrespect to you or Mary, Father, I know you only did what you thought best, but Beth has really tamed the beast as none of you ever could.” “I’m glad Vincent really I am. And I promise we will come and visit, even if it won’t be often, we will have to save for the airfare, and this time I am not going to allow Devin to miss a meal in order to put money to another use.” “No and don’t worry about saving money either Beth.” Catherine told her sincerely, “When you and Devin want to come, just send word and I’ll gladly pay for you, a return flight too.” Devin gasped, “We couldn’t let you do that Cathy.” “Oh yes you could, how else do you expect your father to be a proper grandfather to your children if he seldom sees you. It makes sense so don’t argue.” Beth and Devin exchanged glances, knowing when they were beaten, “Thank you Catherine.” They both said together, “That’ll be great.” Devin added. “So who’s for a cup of tea then?” Mary asked as she stood up. Devin grinned, and in humour croaked, “I thought you’d never ask.” *** *** *** Devin and Beth stayed for several more weeks, allowing Beth to enjoy her very first Winterfest, while Devin grew stronger and stronger, especially with William’s cooking. The cook plied Devin with more food upon his plate each day than he’d seen in a week in Mombassa even when they did have plenty to eat. “You need building up my boy.” William told him fondly. “I’m not complaining William this is great.” Devin told him happily as William beamed. “It’s great for us too.” Vincent told him, “William is trying out all his recipes in one go, and we all benefit. I’ll be sorry when you are gone.” “Nice to think you’ll miss me, for the benefits I bring.” Devin laughed, as did Vincent, becoming serious, “I’ll miss you for a lot of things. I always have.” “I’m sorry about that Vincent. If its any consolation when I did lose my mind, so to speak, it was always your face that swam before me, as I closed my eyes each night wherever I lay down my head, I found images of you a great comfort, strange when you think about it. To think I could remember your face and not be afraid, yet could not connect where to find you, your name, or who you were to me. Still something always drove me on, searching, searching, always searching and whenever I did remember anything, no matter how slight, it was always something happy, always something that we did together. You’re my brother Vincent and I love you, and nothing, not even memory loss took the knowledge of that love away from me. It was the one thing that kept me going through it all. No disrespect to Beth of course, but I believe that even she would agree with me, you have become pretty special to Beth too.” Vincent didn’t know what to say, but happiness poured itself from his soul, and he put his arms around Devin and hugged him tightly. He loved him equally as much, and they were more than brothers. And so it was a tearful farewell when the day arrived that Beth and Devin were to return to Africa, and Father, Mary, Catherine and Vincent who carried Claudia, walked with them along the tunnels as far as the park entrance. “You will come back won’t you Devin?” Father asked his son. Devin had given his Father’s declaration a few days before a great deal of thought. Knowing how his silence had hurt the old man, but knowing it was nothing in comparison to the years of silence his Father had treated him to. Nothing could make up for time lost, not even the belated and longed for words of ‘I love you’. Still two wrongs didn’t make a right, and if he, Devin was to have no regrets, he had to be the one to make the next move. He nodded, “We’ll be back dad, don’t worry. We’ve a lot of catching up to do you and I.” he hesitated, the next words were so hard, they formed in his head but would not transfer themselves to his throat. Beth understood his difficulty, and squeezed his hand for reassurance, making the first move when still Devin had trouble with it. “We’ll be back Father I promise, and I’m so happy to have come to know you, all of you, I love you.” Devin nodded, “Yes”, he told them his eyes searching all their faces, “I love you too.” But his eyes lingered that bit longer on his father’s face, and Father knew he was included, as a feeling of thankfulness and gratitude swept over him. They would still have a long way to go, but they could build from the foundation of love, of that he was certain. “So Devin,” Mary began brushing away a fallen tear, “Let us know that you have arrived safely, send Peter a message huh?” Devin nodded, taking Claudia from Vincent’s reluctant arms, and handed her to Beth. Vincent had come to love the little girl very much. “And don’t leave it so long next time before visiting.” Vincent told his brother, “Do you promise?” “I promise Vin. I won’t let anything stop me. We’ll probably come in the winter though, when there is a little less to do at the park. That’s if nothing stops us.” “Well you’ll have no trouble from me.” Beth told him sincerely. “I’ll certainly be urging you to come.” Everybody laughed. Devin looked at everyone, “I feel like I should say something witty but I can’t think of anything, and this is too emotional for words.” He told them as he hesitated at the large steel door that led up to the park. “I think its just going to have to be goodbye, so long, farewell, adios, see you soon.” he picked up his bags, giving Vincent a final hug before stepping through the entrance with Beth holding his hand. “Goodbye” Beth told them, with a last lingering look, she’d miss them, all of them, but Vincent was special, she’d miss him the most. “And don’t go a wandering anymore.” Catherine laughed as she directed the words at Devin. He smiled at her, she’d given him the words to a perfect farewell, “If I do, I’ll wander in this direction. From now on I’ll be like a swallow on the wing, and migrate home every winter. You can count on it.” As soon as he had said it, Devin realised he had said ‘home’. He hadn’t meant to do, but on reflection it suddenly dawned on him that there was a certain truth in the word. That these tunnels, this life Below really was home to him. It gave him a good feeling, a sense of belonging somewhere at last, and though he still wanted to see the entire world, he knew now he always had a place to return to. Father watched as his son struggled with his feelings with renewed hope in his own heart for he too had noticed the significant little word that his son had uttered, and the wealth of joy it had brought to hear it. And Father found he was holding his breath, until finally he was able to exhale it in a long low sigh of relief as he saw Devin nod and whisper. ”Yes you can count on it, no matter what, from now on nothing will prevent me from coming home, and that’s a promise.” And as Devin stepped out into the sunshine he was filled with a great sense of well-being to know that for once in his life he had everything he’d ever searched for. And a great sense of joy and happiness swept over him in knowing that he belonged somewhere at last. Yes, truly, he belonged somewhere. And to Devin that was the greatest feeling in the world. He had a home and he had a family and a father that loved him and yes, for a certainty, the Prodigal would return... He nodded, yes he would return...just like a swallow on the wing.