The transmission had been blown clean through the floor of the vehicle so there was one final choice Mike had. He ran and jumped into the air with Horton still in his arms. "You've got to make it, Dr. Horton, you've just got to!" he whispered as they sped away. It seemed to take hours for Mike to reach the clinic, but he made it in moments appearing in the middle of the lab. Jeanie screamed, being the first to see the pair, and dropped her clip board. Dr. Cooper turned quickly and his face turned pale. "Oh, my God!" he gasped, "What happened?" He immediately began examining the doctor before he could even be put down.
"We were out by the lake, and he was doing some special tests on my powers! He had me throw this thing, and everything exploded! I-I don't know exactly what happened....the jeep was totaled. I had to fly him here, and I was so scared to move him!" He was still shaken and crying.
"You did the right thing, son!" Cooper told him. "Let's get him to the clinic, fast!"
Mike disappeared and reappeared in the clinic, lying Horton on one of his own exam tables. Cooper was there in minutes with the techs. Son they knew that Dr. Horton needed an emergency operation for serious internal bleeding. Dr. Cooper, of course, was the nearest government-employed physician qualified for the surgery. He reassured Mike that things would be all right before he went to prepare for his grueling task ahead.
"Don't worry, son," he told the boy when he found him still standing just inside the clinic door, "I've taken care of patients in worse shape than our friend here. He'll soon be up and around, with us for a long time, yet!"
Before he'd completely turned away, heading for the supply room, Dr. Cooper noticed the tears on Mike's cheeks. He went back to his young friend's side, and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. Looking straight into Mike's eyes he sincerely said, "It wasn't your fault! Try not to worry too much and get some work done. I'll be sure to notify you when the operation's done. You can pray for us there, in the lab, just as well as here. God knows, I'll need any help I can get."
Mike smiled and reluctantly went to help and console a worried Jeanie and Larry.
Three hours later Jeanie answered the lab phone and heard Dr. Cooper's voice on the other end. The news WAS good. Dr. Horton was out of surgery and resting comfortably. He wasn't completely out of danger yet, but Dr. Cooper felt it was safe now to leave him with one of the med techs for a while until he awoke. It was going to be very uncomfortable for Dr. Horton through his recuperation period, since both of his legs had been broken, along with his left arm. Dr. Cooper told Jeanie that now he would find out what it was like having a doctor for a patient! He'd heard it was one of the worst things in the world! There were some important matters to discuss, too, and Cooper would be in the lab as soon as possible.