Chapter Four: Visiting Mr. Bowditch. Andy Chen. The Cellar. In Other News. A Hospital Meeting.

Summary

• After a new morning routine with Radar, the character attempts to watch television at Mr. Bowditch's house, reminiscing about the echo of a time when TV was not as easy to operate or of high-defintion.
• The young protagonist decides to visit Mr. Bowditch at the hospital, now able to see him post-anaesthesia. The meeting reveals that he has a complex mechanism holding his leg in place for healing.
• Mr. Bowditch asks a series of potentially loaded questions about decisions that need to be made, hinting at an expectation of their growing relationship.
• The boy volunteers to help out around Mr. Bowditch house voluntairly by mowing the lawn.
• The elderly man reveals some hidden or forgotten aspects of the house hinting at a mysterious past.
• He also grants permission for a local Weekly Sun reporter to take a picture of the young protagonist and Radar for an article about the incident, with specific parameters.
• The boy discovers Mr. Bowditch has his groceries delivered, and even fulfills this duty while he is healing.
• The boy's friend Andy Chen visits him and throws a joke that the Weekly Sun newspaper is not as prestigious as The New York Times. Andy also attempts to urge the protagonist to return to join a baseball team.
• Radar manages a walk down the hill to the protagonist's house but only appears comfortable after returning to Mr. Bowditch's home.
• The boy embarks on a mission to tame Mr. Bowditch's overgrown lawn with a scythe, with a determination to take care of the house in Mr. Bowditch's absence.
• The protagonist visits Mr. Bowditch in the hospital again, this time with his father driving him, who waits reading reports whilst he visits Mr. Bowditch, who appears less sprightly than previously.

• The chapter discusses a convalescent patient who repeatedly presses a morphine drip button to receive some relief from the pain.
• He discloses having a heated conversation with a woman named Ravenhugger, who was offering assistance to help him recover. He rejected her proposal, revealing her inquiry about whether he had a bed on the first floor of his house. He explains that he does own a pull-out couch but it has not been set up for a long time.
• The patient then explicitly places trust in the character named Charlie, admitting that Charlie had been the best thing to happen to him in a long time.
• Charlie later discussed this encounter with his father, only partially revealing his conversation with the patient.
• The chapter introduces a little office shed, which both the character and his dog, Radar, seem to find discomforting.
• Charlie receives a phone call from Arcadia Hospital regarding the patient, Mr. Bowditch, which results in Charlie agreeing to a meeting. Charlie's father also agrees to attend this meeting.
• At the meeting, two women, Mrs. Ravensburger and a physical therapist named Melissa, outline Mr. Bowditch's recovery plan and what Charlie's responsibilities will entail. They note Mr. Bowditch's insistence on returning home and opine that this may necessitate Charlie staying with him for the first few nights.
• They also veto the discussion about Mr. Bowditch's insurance situation.
• Charlie and his father give their acceptance and wrap up the meeting.