Petey

Petey decides the only way to protect his mouse friends from being poisoned is to ensure there is no food left on his wheelchair or among his belongings that might attract them. Eating is difficult for Petey, so although he tries to consume everything he is fed, he cannot prevent stray food from dropping into the crevices in the sheet on his lap. Petey tries unsuccessfully to communicate to Calvin that the attendants mean to poison the mice and tries his best to shake the crumbs free from his sheets by moving his body as much as he is able. Petey decides the only way to ensure the mice will be deterred is if he remains awake all night, moving about to frighten and discourage them from coming near him. Heartbroken and conflicted by his need to terrify his tiny friend away to keep him safe, Petey lashes out against Esteban the mouse, who appears in the middle of the night.

Exhausted from his vigil, Petey ignores Calvin and sleeps most of the following day, and the puzzled Calvin reaches out to him to try to discover what is wrong. Patiently using a series of interrogative questions Petey can confirm or deny through vocalizations, Calvin deduces that Petey has been attempting to protect the mice from the attendants’ promise of rat poison. Despite his lingering frustration and fear at the thought that his tiny friends might be harmed, Petey is elated he has managed such a communication breakthrough with another person. 

Through further questioning, Calvin learns it was the crumbs on Petey’s sheets and wheelchair that lured the mice, and he helps by brushing the crumbs from Petey’s linens and helping Petey to keep watch during the night. The two boys spend the next week taking shifts, scaring the mice away whenever they appear. Eventually the mice stop appearing on the ward, and Petey feels a great sense of loss at their departure. His friendship with Calvin serves to mitigate his loneliness, especially since Calvin consistently exerts effort in parsing out exactly what Petey is trying to tell him. Calvin’s presence and personality cause him to stand out among the adult male patients who surround them. Calvin is active, verbal, and boisterous on the ward, frequently finding himself in trouble for his affinity for taking things apart. Calvin works diligently with Petey to help Petey form more words and phrases with his mouth. Petey’s limited control over his tongue makes it impossible for him to speak long sentences, but he begins to speak short phrases. Soon Petey is using terms like “pretty good,” and “good-bye,” which to the casual listener might be difficult to discern, but with patience and interest become distinguishable. Most attendants choose to ignore Petey and dismiss his vocalizations as unintelligible, but Petey and Calvin develop a robust communication system.

Over time, Petey notices that Calvin begins to show signs of depression, exhibiting long periods of despondency. Petey himself feels a certain sadness when looking out the windows; his yearning to interact with the outside world frustrates him. Although no one has ever explained to him its purpose, Petey begins to watch the clock on the wall of the ward, focusing on its movements as a means of measuring his experience and the endless routines of the ward. One afternoon while in good spirits, Calvin begins twirling around in his wheelchair to entertain himself. When he crashes into a wall, tipping his chair over, Calvin falls to the floor and hits his head. He attempts to get up, but quickly falls unconscious. Petey realizes he must find a way to summon help. 

Raging with frustration over his inability to help his friend, Petey summons all his strength, draws in a great breath, and emits the loudest scream he can possibly produce. Despite the pain it causes in his chest, and the injuries he sustains as he begins to swing his arms about with all his might, Petey does not stop until he has caught the attention of one of the attendants. The attendant, Joe, who responds to the commotion, praises Petey for his quick action. As Joe tends to Petey’s injuries, he tells him, “You sure ain’t no idiot” (66). Calvin expresses his gratitude to Petey and reminds Petey he considers Petey his best friend. In the aftermath of the incident, Petey and Calvin develop a special friendship with Joe. The boys find out Joe had once worked for the railroad but had to change professions because of a progressive muscular disease that began to impede his ability to keep up with the physical demands of driving spikes. Joe’s physical condition continues to deteriorate and present obstacles for him as time goes on, and his duties on the ward are increasingly limited. By 1937, Joe warns Petey that his ability to continue performing the tasks required of an attendant may not be sustainable for much longer.

Petey and Calvin become instant fans of the Western films shown on the hospital’s new movie projector. So unaccustomed to the outside world, Petey is mesmerized by the nature of movie technology and how the film strips manage to somehow hold the people within them. Petey and Calvin develop a game in which they pretend to be characters from the Wild West. They transform the ward in their minds until it becomes the settings from their favorite shootouts and train robberies. Imitating the sounds of onscreen gunfire, “kkk! ke! ke!” Calvin dodges the furniture and their fellow patients as he navigates around in his wheelchair. After one of their more action-packed exchanges, Calvin notices Petey doesn’t seem to be feeling well. The doctor who comes to examine him diagnoses Petey with both flu and pneumonia. The doctor pronounces Petey’s prognosis to be poor; citing the fact that Petey is an “idiot,” he states, “These kind seldom live long anyway” (74). Joe contests the doctor’s assertion that Petey is an idiot and is scolded for his disagreement. The doctor tells Joe, “Don’t let your fondness for a patient jade your perceptions” (74). 

Petey remains sick in bed for a full month. With Calvin’s assistance and Joe’s supervision, Petey’s care is made a priority of the ward. Terribly weakened and overwhelmed by chills, sweating, and exhaustion, Petey finally realizes he is getting better when his appetite returns. Petey recovers enough to resume his regular gunfights with Calvin, and soon they are back to creating their customary ruckus on the ward. On Christmas Eve, Joe brings each boy a wrapped present and a stocking he promises to fill with candy the next morning. Petey cannot imagine what the packages might entail, so unfamiliar with the options that exist for other boys in the outside world. When they speak about what the Christmas season means, and Calvin tells Joe that neither of them have any family, Joe insists they have him. On Christmas morning, Petey and Calvin each unwrap their gifts to find their own silver toy revolvers in matching leather holsters. Joe affixes Petey’s revolver to his hand with rubber bands so he can properly engage in shootouts with Calvin. When the boys open their stockings filled with candy, Joe has also included in Petey’s a framed bible verse from the book of Isaiah, which reads “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Calvin asks what eagles are, and Joe likens them to the pigeons they have at the hospital. Calvin indicates his preference for pigeons and asks Petey if he likes pigeons better too. When Petey agrees, Joe crosses out “eagles” and writes “pigeons” on the verse instead. Later that day, Petey enlists Calvin’s help, and the two compile a selection of the candy from their stockings as a present to Joe.