Dart begins this letter, still enjoying the memory of his recent phone conversation with Dot. “It’ll take years to get everything said that we have to say. And by then, we’ll have other things to talk about. Isn’t  that a pleasant thing to look forward to?”

He’s trying to find things to occupy his mind and improve his mood. Today he walked outside to the hospital gate to watch the trains going by. I think he enjoyed it for awhile, but he ended up deciding it was a bad idea. Did it simply add to his homesickness as he thought about where those trains might be going? He didn’t say.

His mother sent him photos of a few engines so that he could make some sketches. Apparently he has extensive photo files of locomotives. Have I mentioned he’s fond of trains?

He told of the trainloads of visitors that arrive daily and are driven around the hospital by bus. He mused, “How I wished you could have been among those visitors. If only there were some way for you to be among them I’d be so happy. You can wake up now, Peterson.”