Read Online Different Paths by Judy Clemens - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Judy Clemens
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take off my shoe, and I didn’t get into a gown.
Dr. Peterson came in just about the time I’d decided it was too cold in the room and was standing on my good foot, rooting around below the sink for something to drape over my shoulders.
“Help you with something?”
I pulled my head out of the cabinet. “Blankets?”
“Ha, ha.” She pointed at the examining table. “Sit.”
I hopped up, and she stood in front of me, arms crossed. “So. You got stepped on?”
“Huge pregnant cow.”
“Ouch. I guess we’d better take a look.”
She gently untied my boot and slid it off my foot. It hurt, but there were no tears. Lucy could stay in the waiting room.
Dr. Peterson peeled off my sock and together we stared at the swollen black and blue mass that used to be my foot. She pushed on a few spots with her fingers while I clenched my teeth.
“Well.” She stood up. “It’s x-ray time for you.”
“Damn.”
“Yup.” She rolled a stool over and began filling out a prescription for the procedure. “You can go right next door to the hospital. No need to even drive anywhere.”
“Great.”
She laughed. “You don’t sound too pleased.”
“Why should I be? This will set me back a day of work.”
She stopped laughing, but kept grinning, shaking her head. “It’s going to set you back more than that.”
I closed my eyes. Of course she was right.
“You’d better get Lucy,” I said. “I think I’m going to cry.”
Chapter Eleven
Dr. Peterson did get Lucy, but it was because she wanted her to wheel me over to the hospital. I looked down at the wheelchair, then up at the doctor. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
She wasn’t. She pointed at the chair, and I sat in it. Lucy began pushing me toward the door, but Dr. Peterson stepped in front of us, searing me with a schoolteacher stare. “Now I don’t want to hear any reports that you’ve been a difficult patient. You go in and do what you’re told.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
And I did. It wasn’t hard setting my foot on the table and holding it still. Even I could manage that. Fifteen minutes later I was out of the room and headed back to the doctors’ office. We were part way to the door when I grabbed the wheel. The chair lurched to a stop and Lucy banged into the back of it.
“Let’s go see Carla while we’re here.”
“We really ought to get you back to—”
“It’ll take a couple of minutes for Dr. Peterson to get the x-rays and read them. Come on. She’s just over here.” I gestured toward the ICU.
Lucy sighed. “Fine. I’d like to see her, anyway.” She started to push, but the chair refused to move. “Stella, hands off.”
“Sorry.” I let go of the wheel, and we were soon in front of the ICU nurses’ station.
The nurse, a familiar face from yesterday, looked at Lucy, and then at me. “Weren’t you standing up yesterday?”
“Yup. Carla in?”
She waved her hand. “Go ahead. Boyfriend’s in there, though.”
“Oh, great.”
Lucy grinned. “Good. I want to meet this guy.”
Bryan jumped to his feet when we opened the door, but still kept a hold of Carla’s hand. Tightly, if the grimace on her face meant anything. She pulled her fingers out of his and flexed them.
Carla’s forehead furrowed as she stared at my wheelchair. “What in the world?”
I pointed at my foot. “Cow stepped on me. That real pregnant one.”
“Wendy?”
“That’s the one.”
“She still hasn’t had that calf?”
“’Fraid not.”
She thought for a moment, probably remembering the C-section last summer, then shook her head. “You’ll have to have Bruce or Tim come out if there’s a problem again. Don’t think I’ll be delivering calves any time soon.”
“She’ll be fine. It’s my foot that won’t.”
“Broken?”
“Guess we’ll see. I was just getting an x-ray.”
Carla brightened. “Those folks are nice down there, aren’t they? Did you have Nancy as your technician?”
I looked at her and tried not
Dr. Peterson came in just about the time I’d decided it was too cold in the room and was standing on my good foot, rooting around below the sink for something to drape over my shoulders.
“Help you with something?”
I pulled my head out of the cabinet. “Blankets?”
“Ha, ha.” She pointed at the examining table. “Sit.”
I hopped up, and she stood in front of me, arms crossed. “So. You got stepped on?”
“Huge pregnant cow.”
“Ouch. I guess we’d better take a look.”
She gently untied my boot and slid it off my foot. It hurt, but there were no tears. Lucy could stay in the waiting room.
Dr. Peterson peeled off my sock and together we stared at the swollen black and blue mass that used to be my foot. She pushed on a few spots with her fingers while I clenched my teeth.
“Well.” She stood up. “It’s x-ray time for you.”
“Damn.”
“Yup.” She rolled a stool over and began filling out a prescription for the procedure. “You can go right next door to the hospital. No need to even drive anywhere.”
“Great.”
She laughed. “You don’t sound too pleased.”
“Why should I be? This will set me back a day of work.”
She stopped laughing, but kept grinning, shaking her head. “It’s going to set you back more than that.”
I closed my eyes. Of course she was right.
“You’d better get Lucy,” I said. “I think I’m going to cry.”
Chapter Eleven
Dr. Peterson did get Lucy, but it was because she wanted her to wheel me over to the hospital. I looked down at the wheelchair, then up at the doctor. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
She wasn’t. She pointed at the chair, and I sat in it. Lucy began pushing me toward the door, but Dr. Peterson stepped in front of us, searing me with a schoolteacher stare. “Now I don’t want to hear any reports that you’ve been a difficult patient. You go in and do what you’re told.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
And I did. It wasn’t hard setting my foot on the table and holding it still. Even I could manage that. Fifteen minutes later I was out of the room and headed back to the doctors’ office. We were part way to the door when I grabbed the wheel. The chair lurched to a stop and Lucy banged into the back of it.
“Let’s go see Carla while we’re here.”
“We really ought to get you back to—”
“It’ll take a couple of minutes for Dr. Peterson to get the x-rays and read them. Come on. She’s just over here.” I gestured toward the ICU.
Lucy sighed. “Fine. I’d like to see her, anyway.” She started to push, but the chair refused to move. “Stella, hands off.”
“Sorry.” I let go of the wheel, and we were soon in front of the ICU nurses’ station.
The nurse, a familiar face from yesterday, looked at Lucy, and then at me. “Weren’t you standing up yesterday?”
“Yup. Carla in?”
She waved her hand. “Go ahead. Boyfriend’s in there, though.”
“Oh, great.”
Lucy grinned. “Good. I want to meet this guy.”
Bryan jumped to his feet when we opened the door, but still kept a hold of Carla’s hand. Tightly, if the grimace on her face meant anything. She pulled her fingers out of his and flexed them.
Carla’s forehead furrowed as she stared at my wheelchair. “What in the world?”
I pointed at my foot. “Cow stepped on me. That real pregnant one.”
“Wendy?”
“That’s the one.”
“She still hasn’t had that calf?”
“’Fraid not.”
She thought for a moment, probably remembering the C-section last summer, then shook her head. “You’ll have to have Bruce or Tim come out if there’s a problem again. Don’t think I’ll be delivering calves any time soon.”
“She’ll be fine. It’s my foot that won’t.”
“Broken?”
“Guess we’ll see. I was just getting an x-ray.”
Carla brightened. “Those folks are nice down there, aren’t they? Did you have Nancy as your technician?”
I looked at her and tried not
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