Chapter 1 - LAYOVER IN YAKIMA
Ben located an unused warehouse and persuaded the owner to allow them to establish a healthcare clinic in the building. There were offices upstairs that they converted to living quarters for their group and the boys who had accompanied them from Wenatchee. They soon put out the "word" among the locals that help was available at the Free Clinic.
Each morning, there would be children and adults lined up at their door, patiently waiting for assistance. The children and young adults were plainly suffering from lack of nutrition and many had no warm place to spend their night in safety.
Ben canvassed the town's businesses for cast off clothing, food nearly out of date and cots and bedding to assist his young charges. Somewhat reluctantly, the businessmen gave what they felt they could to Ben and the small group of Healers and their Trainees set up a Hostel where the young folks could live and sleep, warm and safe.
Dempsey had a better idea than merely asking for help, he gathered a group of businessmen and cajoled them into staying one night, watching over those who had taken shelter in the old warehouse. The very next day, trucks began lining up to deliver bedding, cots, shoes and clothing, much of it brand new.
Businessmen were spotted arriving after working hours to mentor the children and assist the Great Warriors of Saint Michael in caring for them. They formed their own group, calling themselves "The Helpers" and they vowed to carry on after Ben and his band of Warriors, Healers and Trainees departed.
There were regularly forty to fifty youngsters and another ten or fifteen teens and young adults taking refuge at The Clinic each night, their parents unable or unwilling to provide for them.
Ben, Dempsey and Jeff were working full time caring for the children, cooking, cleaning and seeing to it they all attended school. They were assisted by the teens and young adults, each pairing with several children to make sure they were clean, properly clothed and attending their classes as well as finishing their homework.
Dempsey ran the kitchen and laundry and Jeff saw to it that all the supplies were stored and the children had clothing that fit and kept them warm. Ben worked with the local community to insure The Clinic had food supplies and that the electricity, water and natural gas were kept on.
Both trainees, Jack and Randy filled in wherever they were needed. When the annual flu season arrived, they tended those who had taken to their beds, coughing, sneezing and running fevers.
Just before Christmas, the weather turned unseasonably warm and the snow and ice began to melt. The nearby Yakima River started to flood as the outside temperature continued to rise. They knew they were in trouble!
It was not a major river, but it drained a large area and flowed into the Columbia River, which was running full from the unusually warm temperatures.
The water began to back up and low-lying areas started to flood. Several small dams in the area went over their tops and Yakima began to flood. The people living in low-lying areas had nowhere to go; Ben opened the doors of The Clinic to those the rising waters had chased from their homes.
Ben put out the call for sandbags, in case the water became deep enough to flood The Clinic.
By Christmas Eve, there were one hundred and fifty children and ninety teens and young adults taking refuge in The Clinic, everything was in short supply. Their carefully nurtured supply of clothing had dwindled to almost nothing and small children were sharing beds. While food supplies were tight, they had not yet had to ration or skimp on meals.
Their Band of Helpers were struggling in their own lives as well as attempting to assist those at The Clinic, their problems reached a climax when the dam in Brown's Canyon burst, send a wall of water into Yakima.
It was 2 am and those who could sleep, were; the wall of water swept through the town with an awful roar. The Police and Emergency Services were paralyzed, nothing could move. The three Great Warrior Healers and their Trainees sensed the fear and injuries to those around them.
Instructing Trainees Jack and Randy to remain in The Clinic and help those already there, as well as those who were streaming towards them, seeking shelter and safety, Ben, Dempsey and Jeff called forth their Warriors and waded out into the torrent to rescue people who had been trapped in the flood.
All through the night they labored, plucking people from rooftops, trees and balconies where they had taken refuge. As dawn broke over the soggy town, The Clinic was the only building in town with lights. The Helpers had seen to it there were several portable generators in the building sufficient to keep the refrigerators running, the lights on and the blowers in the furnaces operating.
The town was paralyzed, nothing was moving and it was a sea of darkness, except for The Clinic, where the few lights shone as a beacon of safety.
The Governor sent in the National Guard, only to have them stranded on the highway because of flooding. The only building with lights on, The Clinic, became the drop zone for National Guard Helicopters as they rushed food and relief supplies to the stricken town.
They set up a "Soup Kitchen" in an adjacent building and began feeding the townspeople.
Jack and Randy were working full time helping feed those who came to the Soup Kitchen, they were "on duty" the day after Christmas, when a young family came struggling in the door. The Father was carrying a little girl who was unconscious, tears were streaming down the young man's face as he explained that his baby had fallen in the water and was not breathing when they discovered her.
Randy took the child from her Father's arms, knowing he could do nothing for her. He laid the child on a cot and knelt in prayer, "Great Saint Michael, I have not the skill to save this child, guide me as you have others, that this child be awakened and her Family made whole."
Suddenly, the room was filled with a bright light and the Great Angel of God's Army was standing next to Randy, putting a gleaming sword in his hands. His great white wings extended, shielding them both as he guided Randy's hands and, together, they healed the stricken child.
The child awakened and held out her little hands toward Randy. He picked her up and gently cuddled her before handing her to her grieving Father. The young Father could not believe his baby had been saved and healed until she clasped her tiny hands around his neck.
The Great Angel wrapped his wings around Randy and hugged him, "MINE CHILD, THOU ART MINE WARRIOR, GO YOU FORTH AND HEAL MINE PEOPLE!" As he began to fade from sight, he kissed Randy on the forehead, leaving a faint purple imprint of his lips that was to remain on Randy's face for the remainder of his long life as a Great Warrior Healer!
Randy looked at Ben, who had just arrived, having felt Randy emerge as a Great Warrior. Randy said, as tears were still spilling from his eyes, "Brother Warrior, I am called, I shall serve this place as Great Warrior Healer all of my days!"
The little girl, appropriately named Angelina, and her parents vowed to remain at The Clinic and tend Great Warrior Healer Randy and all his needs.
As the floodwaters began to recede and the weather turned towards spring, Ben started to prepare himself and his remaining party for departure.
Randy was adamant that he was going to remain and continue operating The Clinic for the folk of Yakima. Angelina and her parents took over the dining room and kitchen; they began serving all those living at The Clinic and drop-ins, who had no place where they could afford to eat.
Catarina Javier, little Angelina's Mother, opened the dining hall to outsiders for a nominal charge. Her meals were widely popular and she earned enough to buy food to serve both the dining room and the residents of The Clinic.
She had her young husband, Manuel, clean out the adjacent building and she had it opened as classrooms and study halls. Her philosophy was, "Study NOW, eat later!" "Mama Cat" ran a disciplined ship, before school ended for the summer, those students who were living at The Clinic were showing up on the Honor Roll, a trend that became more pronounced as time went by. She frequently told her charges, "There is nobody who cannot learn SOMETHING!"
Randy would regularly be seen, striding through the poorer parts of the town, his Silver Helm and Red Bars of Recognition glowing in the evening dusk as he searched out those in need. He would return with at least one child in his arms and more following at his heels.
He never asked questions, any child who followed him home would be treated to a "Mama Cat" meal, a warm shower, clean clothes and a soft bed for the night.
The Helpers continued to support The Clinic, even unto their own children helping tutor, comfort and befriending the children living there. Schoolyard bullies learned very quickly that the children living at The Clinic were "off-limits".
Chapter 2 - ONWARD TO BOISE
As spring turned into early summer, Ben gathered his traveling companions and they again headed east, towards Boise. The further they went, the drier the climate became and the better time they made.
They passed through Kennewick early in their travels and paused a few days to rest. They got permission to camp in the town park and, somehow, the people there got wind of The Clinic back in Yakima.
Before they had finished their morning meal, there was a line out to the street of folks asking for attention, cuts, bruises, burns and infections. All three Great Warriors Healer were busy attending to the people's needs.
Ben discovered there was no doctor in the town, only an elderly nurse who had retired and did what she could to help her friends and neighbors.
Kennewick was in the center of several small towns, none better equipped than the other. In two days' time, word had spread throughout the area that The Great Warriors, who had saved all the people in Yakima, were in Kennewick.
Ben sighed and accepted the fact that they were going to be there for a while. The old high school had been abandoned when the Regional School District had been formed several years earlier, Ben asked permission to use the old buildings and Kennewick Clinic was born.
Right from the start, homeless and abandoned children made their way to Ben's door, by some miracle, known only to children, word spread that they would be cared for at Mr. Ben's House. Each morning there would be five or six children standing at the door, patiently waiting for someone to open it for them; hungry children, hurt children and children whose families had abandoned them, all of them looking for shelter, a hot meal, and safety, or just for someone who cared.
Before many days had passed, there were twenty children taking shelter in the old school. If you had asked any child in town, they would have told you that it was Mr. Ben's House. It had no other name and everyone was soon calling it that.
Ben resigned himself to staying a while and delaying his trip to Boise once again; he could not bring himself to abandon the children he had collected in Kennewick.
Their days were filled with caring for the young children, Jeff was a particular favorite of the young boys, he would get a bunch of them together and start a basketball game, or flag football. He could be seen most days with the boys getting their exercise chasing the football across the town park lawn.
When the younger ones tired, Jeff always had a book in his hip pocket and he would sit on the ground with his back up against a tree, reading to them such favorites as Robinson Crusoe, Wizard of OZ and Harry Potter.
He was coming to love the small town. As summer began to fade, Ben wanted to push on. Dempsey was fine with that, but Jeff wanted to stay, so he bid a fond farewell to his friends as they departed.
Jeff was to keep Mr. Ben's House going in Kennewick for the remainder of his days.
Chapter 3 - ON TO BOISE, AGAIN
Ben and Dempsey headed southeast into Oregon, stopping at La Grande to purchase more supplies and buy Dempsey a new pair of shoes, he had worn the soles out of the ones he had, again.
They were staying at a small hotel that catered to the sheep herders of the area. It was clean and mostly quiet at night. Meals were served family style and they became friendly with the shepherds staying there.
Ben and Dempsey were wasting a few minutes over cups of coffee, waiting for the Mercantile to open so they could get Dempsey's shoes. As they watched a young teen boy was slipping sandwiches made from biscuits and filled with bacon, into his pockets. They had been carefully wrapped in napkins and the boy thought no one was watching him.
Ben and Dempsey looked at each other and nodded, as soon as the boy went out the door, Ben and Dempsey followed him, keeping out of sight.
The two followed him as he crossed the small town and entered a wooded area near a small creek. They lost him in the bushes, but they heard voices up ahead of them, so they pressed on and came out into a small clearing where they saw the young man holding a boy, about six years old.
The teen screamed and pressed the child behind him, "You cannot have Bobby, he is MY brother. Go away, leave us alone!"
Ben sat beside the frightened teen and said gently, "We will not harm either of you and we surely will not take your brother from you."
He held out his hand to the teen, taking the teen's hand in his own, "We will help you, feed you and care for you both."
The teen replied, "You ain't gonna take Bobby from me?"
Ben smiled and replied, "Why would we do that, he is your brother, not ours?"
The teen dissolved in tears, unable to speak. Dempsey picked up the young child and cuddled him while Ben did what he could to comfort his older brother.
When the older boy finally calmed down, he told them his story, "Our parents were killed in a car accident and the CPS people put Bobby with some mean people." He lifted the child's shirt and showed them the terrible bruises and welts from where he had been beaten.
He continued, "They told me I was too old and just to go get a job. I finally found a job helping herd sheep, but they wouldn't let me have Bobby. I went to see him one day, he was lying out on the ground in their backyard, bleeding and crying. I knew I had to get him out of there before they killed him!"
The teen had to stop, he was crying so hard he couldn't speak.
Ben held him and got him calmed down, "What is your name?", he asked the boy.
The teen replied, "I am David Barkus and I am 17 years old, Bobby is 7."
Ben convinced David to come with them, that they were headed to Boise, just a few days away from where they were. He said, "We are headed to Michael's House, Eldon and Kenny will welcome us there."
David looked at Ben and asked, "But, he don't know us, what will he do about me and Bobby?"
Ben laughed, "He doesn't know us either, but we all know St. Michael, the Arch Angel. We all will be welcomed. I promise!"
Ben and Dempsey got the two boys cleaned up and some food in them before they resumed their trek towards Boise. They kept their pace slow, letting David and Bobby recover and gain strength.
A few days later, they crossed the state line and entered Idaho, they knew that they had about two more days of travel at the slower pace. They spent the evening in Caldwell, eating at a small diner before heading to the Forest Service campground for the night.
Just as they were finishing their meal, two older teens walked in the door of the diner and announced, "We have been sent by St. Michael, is Mr. Ben here in the Diner?"
Ben stood and replied, "I am Ben, just Ben, and my companions are these boys beside me."
The oldest teen bowed to Ben and said, "Lord Great Warrior, we have been sent to bring you home. I am Jerry Donaldson and my companion is Gregg Shear, we both live at Michael's House in Boise. Please come with us, our brothers are waiting for you."
The owner of the diner bustled over, "If you are part of Michael's House, there will be no charge for your supper boys. All of you go in peace, I and my son owe much to Saint Michael the Arch Angel!"
Gregg and Jerry led the four boys out to a van parked in the lot next to the diner; a sign was painted on the side of the van, SAINT MICHAEL'S HOME FOR BOYS, BOISE, IDAHO.
They climbed in the van and Jerry drove them the few miles into Boise. He parked the van in front of a series of neatly painted buildings that looked like old warehouses.
The sign said, "MICHAEL'S HOUSE".
Eldon and Kenny were waiting for them out front, Eldon said, "Welcome to Michael's House Lords Great Warriors Healer Ben and Dempsey and welcome also David and Bobby Barkus. Come in, we have places ready for you."
David looked like he was about to lose it, he stammered, "Ho, ho h, How do y, yy, you know our names?"
Eldon smiled at the young man, "David, Saint Michael the Arch Angel told us this morning to get a room ready for you and your brother, Bobby. Come in and be welcome, your brothers are inside waiting to meet you."
He led the two brothers into a well-lighted room, there were sofas and chairs all around and a table with bowls of fresh fruit on it.
David collapsed in a chair; tears were running down his face as he sobbed his relief.
Kenny held the boy until he had regained his composure, then he said, "David, you and Bobby have a home here, you may stay for as long as you wish. We hope that you stay with us forever, you and Bobby are beloved of Saint Michael."
Little Bobby had an orange in his hand and he brought it over to David, "Here bruver, me share my 'range wit you."
David cried even harder as he hugged his little brother.
Chapter 4 - HOME
The boys of St. Michael's all greeted the newcomers, each one giving them a hug. It was starting to get late and Eldon showed David and Bobby to a small bedroom with two single beds in it. He showed them where the bath room was and handed them clean towels and soap for a shower.
David saw clean pajamas laid out on each bed and Eldon told them there was clean underwear and socks in the dresser for both of them and there were shoes, jeans and shirts for them both in the closet.
David helped Bobby get cleaned up in the shower and put him to bed before he took his own shower. The hot water was heavenly; David soaked the smell of sheep off and wrapped himself in a huge fluffy towel as he came back in the bedroom.
Bobby was already sound asleep and David was not far after him.
Ben and Dempsey stayed up a while longer, telling Eldon and Kenny of their adventures since leaving Wenatchee. They, too, hit the showers and were shortly asleep in their own room.
It came to both Dempsey and Ben that they were to stay in Boise for a while, they dreamed of a terrible sickness that would sweep the community and, in their dream, they saw rows of beds filled with sick children.
Both were so concerned, the next morning they met with Eldon and Kenny, telling them of their dream.
Kenny scratched his head, "I don't know what the sickness could be, but I am sure Saint Michael is trying to tell us something, we will open the next building and get it ready, we have help from the town and I will call them right away."
The more he thought about it, the more concerned he became, so he called Sheriff George Caulkins and Mr. Phil Gorman that very night. Both of them told him they, also, had some strange dreams, George said, "I will have my Deputies over first thing in the morning to help out and get things started."
When he spoke to Phil Gorman, Phil said, "Yeah, I know, I have already ordered two trucks of food from Boise Wholesale, the food will be delivered first thing in the morning. I will also call for medical supplies, blankets and bedding and a new stock of children's clothing, just in case."
Kenny thanked him and hung up.
He spent a restless night tossing and turning, he had to get up twice and retrieve his blankets from the floor. He finally gave it up and went down to the kitchen for a cup of coffee, there, he found Ben, Dempsey and Eldon nursing a cup of coffee each.
They all looked pale and washed out, like they had spent the night in a war zone!
Suddenly, Ben said, "Its Whooping Cough; that is what is coming! Pertussis and it can kill young children! We are going to need Croup Tents and lots of liquid foods; soups, broths and tea.
HURRY, it is coming soon!"
Kenny ran to the telephone and got both Phil and George up out of bed to tell them what Ben had related.
They told him they would start the ball rolling as soon as the Wholesale opened its doors at 7 am.
Phil said he could tap the County for emergency supplies, he would have them delivered before 9 am!
Both Dempsey and Ben took a few moments to go to the Chapel and pray, Ben dropped to his knees beside Dempsey and prayed, "Lord Saint Michael, lend us your strength that we may get through this terrible sickness without losing a child, lead us in saving the children."
Suddenly, both he and Dempsey felt a calm and assuring presence pass over them, they knew their prayer had been heard.
Over the next few hours, hospital beds, equipped with croup tents began arriving, boxes of staples and the makings for soups and broths were delivered; mothers of older children arrived to assist in the kitchen and fathers and grandfathers came by to offer their help in caring for the boys.
Just before lunch, Billy Carver began coughing and gasping for breath, he was just four years old!
His teen mentor, Tim Davis, grabbed Billy up and ran with him to the infirmary, screaming for help.
After that, it was a trickle and then a steady stream of children being brought for help. Children began arriving from outside St. Michael's House, frightened Mothers and Fathers bringing their sick children.
By nightfall, there were forty children in the ward and more were arriving by the hour.
Sheriff Caulkins had dispatched his Deputies over to the County Emergency Services Building to retrieve every bed and croup tent they had, he knew it was going to be a long night!
The ladies in the kitchen worked non-stop turning out soups and broths that the sick children could keep down. They delivered kettles of hot water to make steam for the croup tents, while the Fathers ran the laundry trying to keep ahead of the soiled sheets and pajamas.
The washers hardly stopped rotating before another load was stuffed in them, trying to keep ahead of the usage.
The County sent over its entire supply of medicines, Ben knew it was not going to be sufficient; he was desperate that they were not going to lose any of the children!
They began the night with sixty-eight children in the ward, both Dempsey and Ben were bleary-eyed with fatigue as the night started. It would get worse, they were sure.
It did!
Dempsey pulled Ben over to a corner and they both knelt in prayer, "Beloved Saint Michael, we cannot slow this awful disease, we are being overwhelmed and the children are failing. Assist us, a dying child must not happen!"
There was a shimmering of light before their eyes and they heard a voice say, "In the morn, thou shalt discover thy help hath arrived."
Trusting to their benefactor, both men went back to caring for the sick children, knowing that assistance was on its way to them; they knew not what or how, they only knew it was!
With renewed energy they continued caring for the children, changing their bed linen and soiled pajamas, getting them to sip a little broth and keeping the steaming kettles under the croup tents to supply soothing moisture to the children's battered lungs.
By morning, the census has risen to over one hundred sick and dying children, their help could not understand why Ben and Dempsey were not panicking.
They both would repeat, "Help is coming!"
Just after dawn, there came a loud knocking on the front door and Ben smiled, "Help is here!"
Parked out front were four huge trucks bearing the name "ST. MICHAEL'S HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN - DENVER" and a man in a motorized wheelchair was knocking on the door.
When Ben opened it, the man said, "I am Dr. Frank Way and we are to assist you. Behind me are Gerren, Jeremy, Junior and Allen. Beside me are Terry and James, we are all here to help!"
Dempsey had to hold Ben to keep him from fainting! All Ben could do was stammer, these were the most famous Great Warriors on the planet and they had come to help HIM!
He heard in his mind, "I am here with thee, also, do not fear none of thy charges shall die this day."
The newcomers quickly entered the ward and started treating the sick children; that day was the turning point, by week's end, children were recovering and could be transferred to a recovery ward.
At the peak of the illness, they had one hundred and ten children stricken and dying, they lost not a single child.
In the manner of children, as soon as they began to feel better, the children were eager to get out of bed and start playing. Every time they tried it, almost as if by magic, Dr. Way was in the ward in his wheelchair, sternly chasing the boys back to their beds.
It was all the good doctor could do, not to laugh at their antics, he would have to run his chair into a supply closet and laugh, where they could not hear him!
Sheriff Caulkins and Phil Gorman came immediately when they heard their sons had arrived from Denver. They couldn't have cared less that their boys were a committed couple, they hugged them and, yes, they kissed them also.
Both men were proud of what their sons had become.
Dr. Way had a long talk with Ben and Dempsey, he convinced them to remain in Boise to manage the Boise Division of Saint Michael's Hospital for Children. It was to be a five-hundred-bed teaching hospital with Mr. Ben as Division President and Mr. Dempsey Barnes as Vice President and General Manager.
Over the years, the Boise Division would specialize in Children's Communicable Diseases and would draw patients from around the world.
The Clinics in Kennewick and Yakima would be associated with Boise Division and children throughout the western mountains region would be cared for.
Ben and Dempsey were still young, they would lead the division for many years and through many crises' before it was their time to lay down the mantle of leadership for someone else to carry. Perhaps they may be persuaded to tell of their adventures in Boise at some later date.