On Friday, I’d had a meeting with President Lingham, Dean Rutherford, and people from the campus closed-circuit television station to talk about the coverage of the Apollo 7 launch. Maybe this will work.

As we’d been eating dinner on Friday, the phone had rung. It was Aunt Ruth telling us that Naainish had been involved in a traffic accident and was being taken by helicopter to the university's hospital. We’d dropped everything and headed to the hospital. We were able to see Naainish in the emergency room, and then we’d walked with him as he was taken to surgery.

Ajie and I had then waited in the surgical waiting room. Finally, Naainish’s Aunt Hozhona, who is Mr. Yazzie’s widow, their daughter Haloke, her husband Ashkii, and their daughter Johona made it down from near Taos. We’d told them everything that we knew. And Johona and I had meditated together. Did it help Naainish? I hope it did.

After we’d talked to the surgeons that had worked on Naainish, we invited Naainish’s family to spent the night or what was left of it at our house.

When I woke up late on Saturday morning, Ajie was already out of bed. I dressed and went out into the house. I saw Ajie and Hozhona sitting out in the courtyard talking. I walked out. Ajie looked at me and said, “Well, good morning, sleepyhead.”

“Good morning.”, I replied. Then looking at Hozhona, I said, “Did you sleep well, Mrs. Yazzie?” (Authors note. Remember, Hozhona is the widow of Mr. Yazzie, the silversmith.)

“Oh yes.”, Hozhona said. “And Ajie showed me around, and your house is wonderful.”

“I called the hospital this morning.”, Ajie said. “Naainish is in intensive care and is still sedated. Also, they have him listed as serious. And the family can only see him for five minutes on the hour.”

I looked at Ajie and asked, “Are we, family?”

“No. But I’ll talk with Kathy Benallie and see what she can do.”

“Who is this Kathy Benallie?”, Hozhona asked.

“She’s a friend, a Navajo, and understands spirits.”, Ajie replied. “Plus, she is one of the head nurses in the intensive care unit. And she knows about Kai being a Nádleeh and has seen what she can do.”

“What will this Kathy do?”

“She’ll work it so that Kai can sit with Naainish for extended times.”

“Oh, and then Kai can help the spirits help Naainish?”

“In simple words, yes.”

“Will the hospital allow it?”, Hozhona asked.

“This hospital is beginning to realize that the native peoples, because of their beliefs in such things as spirits, are helped when their traditional medicine is included with the medical treatment that they receive.”, Ajie replied.

“And Ajie’s written a textbook for the doctors and nurses on how to work with Native people.”, I said.

“Is that true, Ajie?”, Hozhona asked.

“Yes.”, Ajie said. “But it’s nothing.

“Don’t believe her, Hozhona.”, I said. “It’s a well written, very informative text. The people at the university that have read it also say that it’s excellent.”

Just then, Haloke and her husband, Ashkii, walked in from the hogan. And Ajie asked, “So, how was the hogan.”

“It’s so peaceful in there.”, Haloke said. “What woke us up was the light coming in through the smoke hole.”

“It does that to us, too, when we sleep out there.”

“Kai.”, Ashkii, Haloke’s husband, said, “Was I seeing things, or were there two cars in the garage under covers?”

“No, you weren’t seeing things.”, I said. “There are two cars out there. Are you into cars.”

“Yeah. I love older cars.”

“One of those is a ‘53, and the other is a ‘57. Would you like to see them?”

“Not classics, but they must be special. So, yes, I’d love to see them.”

I looked at Ajie and asked, “What’s the plan for today?”

“I figured that we’d go into the hospital right after breakfast. But we haven’t even started breakfast, so go and show Ashkii your toys.”, Ajie replied.

“Our toys.”, I replied. Then I said, “Come on, Ashkii.”

Ashkii followed me out to the garage and helped me pull the cover off of the ‘57 Chevy Bel Air. Ashkii looked at the car and said, “Nice., Really nice. A cherry ‘57 Chevy Bel Air.”

“Thanks.”, I said. “I bought it in my senior year in high school.”

“A girl with interest in cars. That’s different.”

I didn’t say anything but opened the hood on the ‘57. Ashkii looked and said, “It's stock. It’s good to see it that way.”

“And that’s the way it’s going to stay as long as I have it.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”, Ashkii said. “I bet it’s got a lot of power.”

“It does.”, I said. “It’s got a four-speed manual transmission with a 283-cubic-inch fuel-injected V8 engine that develops 270 horsepower.”

“Nice. And it’s so clean. So what’s the other one?”

We walked back to the other car and removed the cover. Ashkii just stared for a minute, then said, “This is a Chevy Corvette Roadster. Isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“What year is it?”

“A ‘53.”

“Isn’t that the first year for them?”

“Yes.”

“I’d heard that there was one of these out here.”

“From who?”

“One of the members of the car club I belong to was at the meeting of the Albuquerque car club a while ago, and it was there.”, Ashkii said.

“My Dean is a member of the Albuquerque car club, and he knew we had the two cars, so we took them to that one meeting.”, I replied.

“You know that there’s a big car show at the fairgrounds in Albuquerque on the nineteenth of this month. Don’t you?”

“I knew that there was one, but not when.”

“You should consider going.”

“I spoke with a Mr. Rodrigues who owns one of the Chevy dealerships here. He has a souped-up ‘57, which is a twin of this one, and we talked about showing the two ‘57s side by side.”

“That would be cool.”, Ashkii said. “But, the Vet would be even better.”

“We talked about that too.”, I replied. “And he was going to call me to set it up, and I haven’t heard from him.”

“You might want to call him.”

“I might do that.”

As we put the covers back on the cars, I told Ashkii how I’d gotten the Vet. Then we went back into the house, and we could smell breakfast cooking. When Ajie saw us, she said, “Kai, could you dig out the coffee maker and stuff.”

As I walked into the walk-in pantry, I said, “Sure thing.”

A few minutes later, I walked back out with everything you needed to make coffee. And as I set it on the kitchen counter, I said, “There you go.”

“You don’t drink coffee?”, Haloke asked.

“Nope. Love the smell of it brewing, but don’t like the taste.”

“I’ll do the coffee.”, Ashkii volunteered.

I looked at what Ajie and Haloke were making for breakfast, and it was a southwest style egg and potato skillet. It had scrambled eggs, bacon, chunks of potatoes, and salsa. And it was covered with cheddar cheese. Then on the side, if you wanted to make a wrap, they had made some flour tortillas.

Ajie had me pour juice for everyone. Then I got out coffee cups for those that were drinking coffee. Then I realized that we were missing someone, Haloke and Ashkii’s daughter Johona was missing, so I asked, “Where’s Johona?”

Haloke replied, “In the shower, and that could take hours. I’ve never seen someone shower that long.”

Once Johona had joined us, we sat down to a wonderful breakfast. Then after we’d cleaned up the breakfast dishes, and we were getting ready to head to the hospital, the phone rang. I answered it with “Hello, Nez residence.”

“Hello, this is Chief Kinlicheeny. Is this Kai?”, I heard a familiar man’s voice say.

“Hello, Chief Kinlicheeny. This is Kai.”

“Have you heard about Naainish?”

“Yes, sir. We were at the hospital with him last night until he was out of surgery. And his family spent the night with us, and we’re just about ready to go back to the hospital.”

“Before you go, can you tell me how he’s doing.”

“Let me let you talk to the expert. Hold on.” Then I looked at Ajie and said, “Ajie, it’s Chief Kinlicheeny, and he wants to know how Naainish is doing.”

Ajie took the phone, and said, “Yá’át’ééh, Naat'áanii Kinlicheeny. - (It is good, Chief Kinlicheeny.)”

I didn’t hear what Ajie told the Chief because Naainish’s Aunt Hozhona asked, “Kai, did I hear you and Ajie say that that’s Chief Kinlicheeny?”

“Yes.”, I replied.

“He’s the Chief of the Nation, and he calls you!?”

“We’re friends. And so are he and Naainish.”

“So, he has your phone number?”

“Yes, and we have both his office and home numbers.”

Hozhona just shook her head.

When Ajie hung up the phone, she said, “We need to let Chief Kinlicheeny know when Naainish can have visitors, and he and others will be in regularly to see him.”

We finally headed to the hospital. We, or the family, couldn’t see Naainish except for five minutes on the hour. So, we had to wait for about thirty minutes. So we sat with other people in the waiting room.

As we sat, Naainish’s Aunt Hozhona said, “I’d like to stay and see Naainish as often as I could until he’s out of intensive care, so that he knows that we’re here for him. Then when he’s in a regular room I know that he’ll have a lot of visitors, so we could go back home and then come down to see him every day or two. But I don’t drive.”

“Mom.”, Haloke said. “I could drive down with you.”

“That’s a long drive.”, Ajie said. “You could stay with us while Naainish is in the ICU.”

“We couldn’t do that.”, Naainish’s Aunt Hozhona said.

“Why not? We have the room. And enjoy the company.”

“On one condition. That you let us help buy food.”

“Deal.”

On the hour, Hozhona, Haloke, Ashkii, and Johona went in to see Naainish. And Ajie went to see if her friend Kathy Benallie was working in the ICU. And I sat by myself.

Naainish’s family was back right after the five minutes visiting time. As they sat, I noticed that Naainish’s aunt had tears in her eyes as she said, “He’s still heavily sedated. And he looks so bad.”

“Remember.”, I said. “The accident was less than twenty-four hours ago, and he was in surgery for a long time. And it’s going to take time.”

“I know. It’s just so sad to see him lying there that way.”

“I know. But he’ll get better.”

Then I looked a Johona. And she had tears in her eyes too. So I said, “Johona, come sit with me.”

Johona got up and sat next to me. I offered her my hands, and she took them. Then I said, “Johona, close your eyes and think of Naainish.”

She did as I asked, and I started a quiet chant. When I finished, I looked at Johona. She looked at me, smiled, then she whispered, “Did we help Naainish?”

“Of course we did.”, I replied.

“The spirits?”

“Yes.”

Just then, Ajie was back and said, “Kai, come with me.”

“Huh?”, I said.

“Kathy Benallie wants to see you.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Ajie and I excused ourselves, and I followed Ajie to the ICU’s nurse's desk. Kathy Benallie, the head nurse in the ICU, saw me, smiled, and said, “Hi Kai.”

“Yá’át’ééh, Oolijee.”, I said.

“You remembered my Navajo name?”

“Of course.”

“I hear that Mr. Yazzie is a friend.”

“Yes, a very good friend and a medicine man.”

“Oh! A medicine man. That I didn’t know.”, Kathy said.

“Yes, he was our teacher and taught us about the Nádleeh.”, I replied.

“I see. And like the last time you were here with the girl, you’d like to sit with him?”

“If I could.”

“For how long?”

“I can’t say. I’ll only know once I’m with him.”

“Okay. The doctors were just here, so unless something happens, you shouldn’t be interrupted. And while your back there, the family won’t be able to come back.”

“I’ll tell them.”, Ajie said.

“Come with me, Kai.”, Kathy said.

I went with Kathy, and Ajie went to talk with Naainish’s family. Kathy got me a gown, and I put it on. Then we went into the ICU and to Naainish’s bed. He was bruised. His right arm was bandaged, and his right leg was in a cast. And there was a bandage on his head. There were two IV’s running, and he had an oxygen mask on. And of course, he was wired to monitors.

There was a chair next to his bed, and I sat. As she left, Kathy said, “Take as long as you need, Kai.”

I took Naainish’s hand in mine, and I felt his spirit. I smiled. His spirit was strong. I closed my eyes and started a slow, quiet chant. How long I was there, I don’t know, but I could feel his spirit. And it became stronger as I chanted. And as I was leaving, like last time, I whispered, “Naainish, shik'is, hágoónee'. - (Naainish, my friend, see you later.)”

And he squeezed my hand.

I walked back out of the ICU, and Kathy was sitting there, she looked at me, and asked, “Well?”

“He is getting better.”, I replied.

“You think?”

“I know. There is so much more that Naainish has to give to the people that it isn’t his time.”

“Who told you that?”

“In His way, the Great Spirit.”

Kathy smiled. I took off the gown and went back out to where the family was. Johona saw me first and said, “Kai! How is he?

I sat with the family and said, “He is getting better. All it will take is time. Go in and see him the next time, then go home. And come back down tomorrow and plan to stay with us, and I’m willing to bet that you won’t stay more than two nights before they move him to a room.”

“Don’t bet with her.”, Ajie said. “She wins all the time.”

We sat with the family and talked about the plan where Hozhona and Haloke would come back down tomorrow and then spend Sunday and maybe Monday night with us. I saw Johona looking at us with an I’d like to stay too look.

So, I said, “Johona, why don’t you come back down with them?”

“I’d like to, but I have school on Monday.”, Johona said.

“School is more important, and your Great Uncle will know that you’re thinking about him.”

“Thank you, Kai. I will be thinking about him.”

“Yes, you will.”

We said so long to Hozhona, Haloke, Ashkii, and Johona as they went back to see Naainish, and then Ajie and I headed home.

Once we were home, Ajie and I cleaned up both spare bedrooms and the hogan, and that didn’t take long. Since we had a late breakfast and no lunch, we talked about dinner. We decided on the High Noon Restaurant and Saloon, and that decision also required three phone calls to see if others wanted to join us for dinner. So there’s going to be eight for dinner.

Before we met our friends for dinner, it was a hike along the river and a visit with the Eagles. As we sat visiting with the Eagles, I told Ajie about the talk that Ashkii and I had about the car show at the fairgrounds. And Ajie said that it sounded like fun.

During dinner, we filled our friends in on what had happened to Naainish. And I told them how I felt about his recovery.

After dinner and when we were back home, Ajie called the hospital to check on Naainish. He was still in the ICU and was still listed as serious. Ajie told me that this wasn’t unusual for someone that been hurt as badly as Naainish had been hurt.

We sat out in the courtyard, cuddled together, watched the stars, and we fell asleep.

It was very early on Sunday morning when I woke up still out in the courtyard. It was very dark, but the full Moon provided light. I woke Ajie up, got her up on her feet, and led her to the bedroom. I looked at the clock, and it was just before two in the morning. I undressed her and tucked her into bed. Then I undressed and joined her.

The next time I looked at the clock, it was going on eight, and the Sun was up. We’re lucky the windows of the master suite face south and west, so the morning Sun wasn’t streaming in.

Ajie was still asleep, so I carefully got out of bed and got into the shower. While I was in the shower, I was joined by my queen. This shower was much longer than my regular shower.

After we were both out of the shower and dressed, we went and put together an excellent breakfast. That was really a brunch. And while I was cooking it, Ajie went and checked on Naainish’s condition. When she came back, she said, “Still in the ICU and listed as serious. But I’m not surprised.”

“Did Hozhona say when they were coming back down?”, I asked.

“After lunch.”

“Good. We’d better go grocery shopping.”

“Good thought. And we’d better put a load of laundry in the washer when we get back. Or we’re going to run out of sheets.”

After a trip to the grocery store, we did some laundry, and I did some reading on the things that N.A.S.A. had given us. At about five, the phone rang, Ajie answered it, and when she hung up, she came out into the courtyard where I was reading and said, “That was Hozhona, and they’re lost.”

“I was worried about that.”, I said. “Where are they?”

“At the gas station at Tramway and I-25.”

“That’s not bad. Did you tell them that I’d be there in ten minutes?”

“Yes. And the guy at the gas station didn’t know where our street was.”

I was at the gas station about ten minutes later and leading Hozhona and Haloke back to the house, and that took about fifteen minutes. I took it easy as I didn’t want to outrun them.

When we were back at the house, we did the formal greeting to the house. I led Hozhona and Haloke to the front door, pulled the doorbell rope, and waited for Ajie to open the door. Within a minute Ajie opened the front doors, we looked at the two women and said, “Yá’át’ééh. T'áá shoodí wóshde´e´’. - (It is good. Please come in.)”

The women smiled, and Hozhona said, “Ahéhee’ - (Thank you.)”

Then Haloke said, “If I remember correctly, you two weren’t born out here.”

“We’re from Ohio.”, I said.

“But both of you speak the language like you were born out here.”

“Before we moved out here, we were spending a lot of time here in the summers, and my mother decided that we should learn the language. And she was a taskmaster teaching us Navajo.”

“She did well.”

“And we’re both glad that she did.”

The two women saw the wall hangings in the entrance hall, and Hozhona said, “The wolf prayer is very nice.”

“People say that it’s Kai.”, Ajie said.

Hozhona looked at the wolf prayer again, nodded yes, and said, “Yá’át’ééh. - (It is good.) The other two wall hangings are the Yei Spirits and the sacred mountains. Aren’t they?”

“Yes.”

“That is a good thing.”

We’d found out that the two women like frybread tacos. So, Ajie put together an excellent topping for the frybread that I made. She put together ground beef that was well seasoned, a pinto bean mixture, and lots of toppings. We also put together a cilantro and lime rice dish. And the fried ice cream for dessert was a pleasant surprise for them.

After dinner, Ajie and I called home and filled our parents in on what had gone on the past week. They were saddened to hear about Naainish. But they were happy to hear that he was recovering. And everyone got a kick out of me going to be on TV. 

Our two guests made coffee, then we sat out in the courtyard, and while they had their coffee, Ajie and I had sangria.

As we sat, I asked, “Has Naainish told you much about me?”

“He’s told us some things.”, Hozhona said.

“Like?”

“Well, that you didn’t know much about two spirit people or Nádleehs until you came out here.”

“You’re right.”

“He also said that Ajie had a cute little term for you.”

“Oh, Naainish thought something was cute?”, I said.

“He didn’t exactly say that.”, Hozhona said. “But what he did say was, that you, the Nádleeh, had the body of a boy with the spirit of a girl.”

“Does that upset either of you?”, Ajie asked.

“In truth.”, Naainish’s Aunt Hozhona said. “At first, it was a shock. But after seeing Kai and knowing how the spirits can be, I was pleased. Kai seems so sure of herself as a girl. And when I’ve been around Kai, I’ve felt a girl.”

Ajie looked at Haloke and asked, “What about you, Haloke?”

“As mom said, it was a shock at first.”, Haloke replied. “But the more I see Kai and talk to her, the more I see what Naainish said about her.”

“And what was that?”, I asked.

“That you are a special Nádleeh. – (Two spirit person.) That you have the spirit of the wolf. And that you can help your people. So I accept you for who you are. You may have the body of a boy, but you’re a girl in spirit.”

“Does Johona know about me?”

“Only that you are a special Nádleeh.”

“Who else knows?”, Ajie asked.

“Most of the people in the Nation know.”, Haloke said. “They accept Kai for who she is and what she can do. And they know that Kai didn’t have a choice in what the Great Spirit has given her. They also see that she has accepted it better than most of the people born out here would.

“As far as Johona is concerned, she’s recently learned what a Nádleeh is from Kai and how Kai brings the spirits to help her people.

“What Kai did at my father's funeral with Johona opened Johona’s eyes to the old ways. And she also learned more about what a two spirit person is. It was a good thing for her, and she’s happier now.”

“There was only one thing that bothered me.”, Naainish’s Aunt Hozhona said.

“What was that?”, I asked.

“When Ajie was showing me around the house, and we were in the master suite, there was only one bed. And I thought that two girls in one bed wasn’t good. Then I remembered who Kai is. And I smiled to myself.”

“And Kai.”, Haloke said. “Please don’t change. Everyone loves who you are. Just go on being who you are.”

“I don’t think the Great Spirit would let me change even if I wanted to.”, I replied.

We continued to sit out in the courtyard watching the stars start to appear as the Sunset.

At about eight o’clock, Hozhona said, “I think I’m going to bed and read for a while.”

The three of us said good night to Naainish’s Aunt Hozhona. As she walked through the patio doors into the house, I asked her daughter, “Haloke, how’s your mother doing since your father passed?”

“She’s doing okay.”, Haloke said. “We’re trying to get her to move in with us. The house that my mom and dad had is just too big for her.”

“Do you want me to talk to her.”

“Thank you, but no, Kai. She’ll soon see that she needs to get out of that house.”

Ajie and I both had classes to teach on Monday. So, we gave Hozhona and Haloke a key to the house, plus written directions to the hospital. Ajie left at about seven for her eight o’clock class, and I left at eight for my nine o’clock class. Earlier I’d told our friends what was going on, and I’d told Dr. Joe, that I probably wouldn’t be into the office on Monday. He understood.

After I finished with my ten o’clock class, I headed to the hospital and the ICU. When I got there, Ajie, Hozhona, and Haloke were there, and they told me that they had started to wake up Naainish and that there didn’t appear to be any brain injury. Thank you, Great Spirit!

Ajie and I talked our way in to see Naainish at the next visiting time, so when that time came, the four of us walked into the ICU. As we did, we saw Dr. MacCallum, the doctor who had done the surgery on Naainish, walking out. He saw us and said, “Miss Nez, your friend is making an amazing recovery.”

“That’s wonderful to hear, Dr. MacCallum.”, Ajie replied.

“I think that if everything continues as it has, that we’ll be moving him to a private room soon.

“I also understand that someone spent some time with him yesterday. One of the other doctors saw a young woman sitting with Mr. Yazzie and heard her singing. Is this some of the Navajo magic that you’re always talking about?”

“Dr. MacCallum.”, Ajie said. “It’s not magic. It’s what the People believe in. It’s the spirits that they feel. The spirits that they believe will help them. Realize that Mr. Yazzie is a Navajo medicine man. And the young lady that was sitting with him is what we call a Nádleeh or a two spirit person. She also has the power of the wolf, which allows her to help her people.”

“Miss Nez, I’m a man of medicine, and I know that you believe strongly in this. But I don’t know.”, Dr. MacCallum said.

“Dr. MacCallum, as you know, I’m also a woman of medicine. At first, I didn’t believe it either, but I’ve seen it many times. I’ve learned that there is a lot of truth to what the native people believe in. The spirits are important to them.

“I’ve also learned that if we combine medicine with the people’s beliefs that it helps them to recover faster.”

“You’re serious in you’re belief of this, aren’t you, Miss Nez?”

“Yes, sir. Very much so.”

“And we’ve had this talk before. Haven’t we, Miss Nez.”

“Yes, sir. We have.”

“How do we solve this?”

“Maybe allow the young lady that was seen sitting with Mr. Yazzie, more time to sit with him. And see how quickly he recovers.”

“We could do that. Do you know how to contact her?”

Ajie looked at me and said, “Dr. MacCallum meet Miss Kai Nez. Kai, this is Dr. William MacCallum.”

We exchanged handshakes and greetings. Then Dr. MacCallum said, “So, Miss Kai Nez, are you related to the other Miss Nez?”

“Yes, sir.”, I said. “Ajie Nez is my cousin.”

“And you also believe in this spirit thing?”

“Yes, sir, I do. Not only do I believe, but I also feel the spirits. I even feel your spirit and how you feel about what you and Ajie have been talking about. You feel that it’s a bunch of hooey. Am I wrong?”

Dr. MacCallum looked at me and said, “Ah. Yes, I guess I do feel that way.”

“I guess we can solve it this way.”, I said. “How long do you feel that Mr. Yazzie will be in the hospital?”

“I think it’ll be a good three weeks, Miss Nez.”

“Okay, and I’d be surprised if he’s in here much more than a week.”

“You’re on, Miss Nez.”

“Do I have unlimited access to him?”, I asked.

“Yes.”, Dr. MacCallum replied.

“And if I win?”

“I’ll start listening to your cousin. And if I win?”

“I’ll move back to Ohio.”

Ajie looked at me in utter surprise but didn’t say anything.

“You’re on, Miss Nez.”

“Thank you, sir.”, I said. “And, sir, I’d have that tooth that’s bothering you looked at. And do it soon.”

As his hand went to his cheek, Dr. MacCallum said, “How did you … ”

I just smiled.

After Dr. MacCallum had walked away, Ajie whispered, “Are you crazy?”

“You know I am.”, I replied. “Why?”

“Saying that if you’re wrong that we’ll move back to Ohio.”

“When have I been wrong? Besides, I said that I’d move back.”

“You’ve never been wrong about things like this. But there’s always a first time.”

“Well, if I am wrong, which I'm not. I’ll move back to Ohio. But only for a week. Then I’ll come back.”

Hozhona and Haloke had been standing there listening to all of this, and Hozhona said, “Kai, you and Ajie really stand up for what you believe in.”

“We do, do that.”, I replied. “We’ve both learned that you have to stand up for what you believe in.”

“How did you know that the doctor had a bad tooth?”, Haloke asked.

“She’s pulled that before.”, Ajie said. “She saw that his cheek was swollen, and he’d touch it every once in a while, and that gave her a clue.”

“You were right too. Weren’t you, Kai.”

“Yes.”, I said.

Just then, a nurse walked up and told us that the visiting time was over. Ajie explained that we’d spent the time talking to Dr. MacCallum and that we’d still like to see Mr. Yazzie. The nurse told us that we could have five minutes. So we walked over to Naainish’s bed, and I took his hand in mine. He was awake, and he whispered, “Did I have a dream that I was visited by two beautiful maidens when they first brought me here?”

“Those weren’t beautiful maidens, Naainish.”, I said. “That was just Ajie and me. We were with you in the ER and walked to surgery with you.”

“So, I was visited by two beautiful maidens.”

“We’ll let you believe that.”, Ajie said.

“Kai Nez, I couldn’t help hear what you and the doctor were saying to each other.”, Naainish said. “He’s going to lose.”

“I know.”, I said. “I feel good about you. You are going to be laid up for longer, but not here.”

“I know. Bones take time to heal.”

“They do. And if you spend time at the resort, it will help.”

“I know. And Hozhona and Haloke, what are you doing here?”

“We’re here to keep you company. As you have done for us.”, Hozhona said.

“The four of you are good people.”

The nurse came back and said, “It’s time.”

We all said hágoónee' - (see you later) to Naainish as he did to us.

The four of us walked back out to the waiting room and sat. Haloke asked, “Kai, would you really move back to Ohio.”

I looked at her, smiled, and said, “No. No more than Dr. MacCallum will listen to Ajie.”

“He won’t?”

“I could be pleasantly surprised, but I don’t think he will. He’s too entrenched in his beliefs. It’s the young doctors and nurses that will grasp what Ajie is trying to teach them. But then again, I could be pleasantly surprised by Dr. MacCallum.”

“Kai, would you like to sit with Naainish again?”, Ajie asked.

“Yes.”, I replied.

“I’ll go see if Kathy is here.”

Ajie got up and walked over to the nurse's desk. We watched as she talked with one of the nurses. Then she walked back over to us and sat. Then she said, “Kathy isn’t working today. But, surprise, surprise, Dr. MacCallum has written orders that Kai can visit Naainish at any time and for as long as she deems necessary.”

“Really?”, I said.

“Yes, really.”

“Well, why don’t the three of you go get something to drink, and I’ll go see Naainish. And then we’ll talk about going someplace to eat.”

And that’s what we did. I spent about an hour and a half with Naainish. We talked until he fell asleep, then holding his hand, I quietly chanted. When I was happy with what I did, I quietly got up, and as I had before, I whispered, “Naainish, shik'is, hágoónee'. - (Naainish, my friend, see you later.)”

And like last time, he squeezed my hand.

Then I walked out of the ICU and to the waiting room. Ajie, Hozhona, and Haloke were sitting there. Hozhona asked, “How’s he doing?”

“Everything considered, he’s doing well. His spirits are amazingly strong.”

“That’s good.”

“Yes, that’s very good.”

We talked about where to go for dinner, then after Hozhona and Haloke visited with Naainish, we went over to Old Town and the La Placita Dining Rooms for dinner, and there was an argument over who was going to pay. We lost, and Hozhona paid.

After dinner, we went back to the hospital to visit Naainish one more time before heading to the house. What we saw surprised us. He was fully awake, and we talked like old times. When we left, we all told him that we’d see him tomorrow.

On Tuesday, the routine was a little different. Only I had classes to teach, and I had to get to work on the project. Hozhona and Haloke said they were going to go to be at the hospital at nine. And Ajie was going to go with them. I told them that I’d be to the hospital right after I ran an errand after my nine o’clock class.

Right after my nine o’clock class, I stopped in the office and filled Dr. Joe in on what was going on with Naainish. He was happy to hear that Naainish was on the mend. I told him that I needed to run an errand, then stop at the hospital, and then I’d be into work on the project. He understood.

Shortly after I’d left the university, I was pulling into the Chevrolet dealer. Of course, as soon as I parked, I was approached by a salesman, and he asked, “Can I help you, Miss.”

“Yes, I’d like to see Mr. Rodrigues.”, I replied.

“Yes, come with me.”

I followed him into the dealership and to an office. He opened the door and told the secretary that I wanted to see Mr. Rodrigues. The secretary asked, “Miss, what do you need to see Mr. Rodrigues about.”

“The upcoming car show.”

“And you are?”

“Kai Nez.”

“Does Mr. Rodrigues know you?”

“Yes, we’ve met.”

“Okay, just a minute.”

The secretary got up, walked to a door, knocked, and I heard a “Come in.”

The secretary went into the office, and a short time later she came back out, and said, “Miss Nez, Mr. Rodrigues will be happy to see you. Please go on in.”

I got up and walked into the office. Mr. Rodrigues looked at me and said, “Have a seat, Miss Nez.”

As I sat, Mr. Rodrigues asked, “What can I do for you?”

“Do you remember talking to me about the big car show that’s this month.”, I replied.

“Yes, it’s on the twentieth. And you do look familiar. But I don’t remember talking to you.”

“I have the twin to your ‘57 Bel Air that’s in the showroom, but it’s not souped-up.”

“I don’t remember anything like that.”, Mr. Rodrigues said.

“You were going to call me about bringing it to the car show and parking it side-by-side with your ‘57.”, I said.

“I did?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember.”

“Well sir, if you don’t remember that, you probably won’t remember the ‘53 either.”, I said.

“A ’53 what, Miss Nez?”

As I stood up, I said, “A ‘53 Corvette. But I don’t feel that you’re interested in that either, Mr. Rodrigues. Good day.”

As I walked out of the office, Mr. Rodrigues said, “Miss Nez, please wait.”

I turned, looked at him, and said, “No, sir. You forgot me, and now I’m going to forget you.”

I walked out of the office, out of the dealership, got in the car and headed to the university. And I was a little mad. More so, over wasting my time when Mr. Rodrigues forgot about what we’d talked about.

When I was back at the university, I walked from the faculty parking lot to the hospital. I was in the ICU a little after twelve. Hozhona and Haloke weren’t there. Maybe they’d gone back to the house. So I walked over to the nurse's desk and asked how Naainish was. The nurse said that they had moved him to a regular room this morning. She gave me the room number, and I went to the room.

When I walked in, Hozhona, Haloke, and Ajie were there, and of course, so was Naainish. He still had an IV attached to him with a couple of bottles hanging from it. He was still on oxygen and was wired to some kind of machine.

I looked at Naainish and said, “Naainish, you’re looking better.”

“I’m feeling better too, Kai Nez.”, Naainish said.

“I’m glad. You had us worried.”

“It had me worried too. But seeing you and Ajie while I was in the emergency room helped me through all of this. And Kai, the times that you’ve sat with me were amazing. I may have been sedated, but I knew you were there. I could feel your spirit helping my spirit.”

I smiled and said, “I’m glad that I could help.”

“You proved that all of my teachings were good.”

“Naainish, it was better than good, it was excellent.”

“I had an exceptional student.”

Just then, Dr. MacCallum and two other doctors walked in. Dr. MacCallum looked at me and said, “Well, Miss Nez, it looks like I could be losing this bet.”

“Time will tell, Dr. MacCallum. Time will tell.”, I replied.

Naainish asked, “Doctor, you didn’t bet against Kai, did you?”

“Yes, I did.”, Dr. MacCallum replied.

“Bad idea. I think she always has inside information.”

I smiled and shook my head.

“Would you ladies please excuse us, I need to examine Mr. Yazzie.”

The four of us left the room, and while we were waiting, I told the others about my experience at the dealership. Ajie said, “I thought something was bothering you.”

“Yeah.”, I said. “I was excited about the car show. And this Mr. Rodrigues guy bursts my bubble.”

“Why don’t we find out about the show and just take the Corvette.”

“That’s a thought. But, we’d need to get a large enough tent or something because I don’t want the car sitting out in the sun.”

“Why not talk to Chief Clah?”

“True. He is into the car club thing. And he may know some way to do this.”

As we talked, we were standing in the hall outside of Naainish's room. I was looking down the hall past the other three who were looking at me. I saw two men walking towards us, and I thought, ‘Speak of the devil.’

As the two men walked up to us, I said, “Yá’át’ééh alní'íní, Naat'áanii Kinlicheeny dóó Naat'áanii Clah. - (It is good, Chief Kinlicheeny and Chief Clah.)”

Chief Kinlicheeny replied, “Yá'át'ééh t'áá ájíltso. Nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí. - (Hello everyone. It is good, and all is harmony around us.)”

I saw Hozhona’s eyes get big when she figured out who’d just walked up. They and Ajie turned looked at the Chiefs, and Ajie introduced them.

Then Chief Kinlicheeny said, “Ajie, thank you for calling and telling me that Naainish was now in a room and could have visitors.”

“No problem Chief.”, Ajie replied. “The doctors are in with him right now. That’s why we’re out here.”

“How is he?”

“From what I’ve seen and read, he’s doing very well.”, Ajie replied.

Looking at me, Chief Kinlicheeny said, “You didn’t have anything to do with this. Did you, Kai Nez?”

With a little smile, I said, “Who me?”

“You did have something to do with it. Didn’t you?”

“Could be.”

Just then, the doctors came out of the room, and Dr. MacCallum, looking at me, said, “We’re all finished. And he’s looking surprisingly good. You can go on back in.”

“Thank you, doctor.”, Hozhona said.

“I’ve got to get to the office.”, I said. “Ajie, I’ll see you at home, and tell Naainish that I’ll see him before I go home. And, Chief Clah, can I see you for a minute.”

“I’ll tell him, Kai.”, Ajie said.

“Sure, Kai.”, Chief Clah said.

Chief Clah walked with me towards the elevators, and I filled him in on what went on at the car dealership. He told me that the dealership owner, Mr. Rodrigues, was known for not coming through on things like this.

Then Chief Clah said, “I know that all of the spaces are taken, so the only thing you could do is find someone that has an extra space and will share it.

“I only have a single and will be bringing my Corvette. If I’d gotten a double, I would have shared with you.”

“Oh well. Thanks, Chief. Maybe next year.”

“Kai, I’d really like to see that Corvette of yours at the show. As rare as it is, it would be a real draw, and it should be seen. You might ask Dean Rutherford.”

“That’s a thought, and I will.”

I left the hospital and walked to the office, Dr. Joe wasn’t there, so I was able to get some work done. Just about five, I put everything away, locked up the office, and stopped in the college’s office to check on my mail.

As I walked into the college's office, Sara was just leaving. We said hello, and she told me that the Dean was still here. I walked to the room where the faculty mailboxes are, checked my mailbox and nothing. As I was walking through the front office, the Dean, on his way home, came out of his office. We said hello to each other. Then as we walked out of the office, he locked the door, and we walked towards the faculty parking lot together.

As we walked, I told him about what had happened at the Chevy dealership and that I’d like to bring the Corvette to the show.

The Dean said, “Did you ever join the car club?”

“No.”, I replied. “With everything else that's going on, it slipped my mind.”

“Do you have ten dollars on you?”

We stopped walking. I opened my purse, took out my wallet, took out a ten-dollar bill, and said, “Yes.”

The Dean took the ten-dollar bill from me and said, “You’re now a member.”

“Oh. Okay.”

And we started walking again.

“The club has several spaces reserved for members. And I’ll be sure that you have one under the tent.”

“That would be great.”

“Use the first gate south of Lomas on Louisiana. The gates open, for those putting their cars on display, at eight, then they open to the general public at ten. So, I’d be there by nine. I’ll be there at eight. Ask at the gate when you come in, and they’ll point the way. But it’ll be a large open tent with the club banner on it, and it’ll be in front of the grandstands.”

“Prime location.”

“Of course we sponsor the show along with the local chapter of the Sports Car Club of America. And they’ll love seeing that car of yours.”

“This could be fun.”, I said.

“It always is.”, The Dean said. “And you are bringing the Corvette?”

“Yes.”

“That’ll be interesting. I’ll be sure that we have a properly made sign for it that you can keep. Who do we list as owners?”

“Nez and Nez.”

“I know that I’ve seen it. But describe it for me.”

“It’s a 1953 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster. With a 235.5 cubic inch straight 6. The transmission is a 2-speed automatic. It’s white with a red interior and black convertible top. And the serial number ends in 297.”

“Is that serial number something of importance?”

“I haven’t researched it yet, but I’ve been told that they only made three-hundred of these.”

“Then that’s important. Who’s name goes on the membership?”

“Ajie Nez and Kai Nez.”

“A family membership?”

“Why not.”

“Dr. Oshie told me about your friend, Naainish. I hope he has a fast and full recovery.”

I smiled and said, “He will. And I’ll pass on your thoughts.”

At the faculty parking lot, I said so long to the Dean and walked over to the hospital. As I walked into Naainish’s room, I saw Quah Ah, the medicine woman from the Taos Pueblo, sitting there. I just said, “Yá’át’ééh, Quah Ah. - (It is good, Quah Ah.)”

“It is good.”, Quah Ah said.

I looked at Naainish and said, “Naainish, with Quah Ah here, I think that you’re looking for another doctor.”

“Kai Nez.”, Naainish said. “With you around, who needs a doctor?”

“You did on Friday night.”

“You’re right. And they were good doctors.”

“Yes, they were. And Quah Ah, it’s wonderful to see you again.”

“Yes, it’s good seeing you again too, Kai Nez.”, Quah Ah said. “I’ve heard some stories about you this afternoon.”

“So, Naainish is telling fibs?”, I said.

“I don’t think they were fibs. He told me how you’re helping him heal.”

“Maybe I was helping the spirits help him. I saw the Yei spirits in my mind when I was sitting with him.”

I walked over and took Naainish’s hand in mine, smiled at him, and said, “You don’t need any more help from me. You are doing well.”

Naainish smiled and said, “Kai Nez, you are a wonderful friend.”

I stayed a little while. Then Quah Ah and I left at the same time, and as we were walking out, I said, “See you tomorrow, Naainish.”

“Hágoónee', Quah Ah and Kai. - (See you later, Quah Ah and Kai.)”, Naainish said.

As Quah Ah and I walked out of the hospital, she asked, “Kai, is he going to be okay?”

“Yes, Quah Ah, he’ll be fine.”, I said. “It will take time for him to heal completely, but he will. I hope he spends time at the resort. The spirits and thermal waters there will help him.”

“I’m so glad. I would miss him if he was gone.”

“We’d all miss him.”

I walked Quah Ah to her car and said so long. Then I walked to my car and headed home.

When I pulled into the driveway, I noticed that Haloke’s car was gone. Then as Ajie met me at the door, she said, “Hozhona and Haloke went to see Naainish and tell him that they were going back home, but would be down to see him later in the week.”

“So we’re minus our house guests.”, I said.

“Yeah. It was fun while it lasted.”

“It was. You should have seen Hozhona face when she figured out that Chief Kinlicheeny was standing behind her.”

“I know. Later as she told me that she was surprised as to how easily we could talk to him. I just told her that we’ve been friends for a long time.

“So, what did Chief Clah say about the car show?”

I told Ajie what he’d said. Then I told her about the talk that the Dean and I’d had. And about how he tricked me into joining the Albuquerque Classic Car Club and how he’d completed our membership. She laughed. Then she said, “So, we’re going to the car show on the twentieth?”

“Yep.”, I said.

“That should be fun.”

“And interesting.”

With our house guests gone, Wednesday and Thursday were as normal as they can be for us. Teaching classes and taking classes. Ajie is working in the ER and me working on the project. I also gave my students the information on where to be at eight o’clock Friday morning for the Apollo 7 launch. I had one student in my nine o’clock class that had an eight o’clock class, and I wrote a note to his instructor.

On Thursday evening, my queen caught on to me being nervous. Nervous about what you ask? Tomorrow, Friday, I was making my television debut during the launch of Apollo 7. Okay, I know, it’s only on the university’s closed-circuit network, but still …