âI love you!â
âLove you too, honey. Love you, too.â
Alice was finishing off her jelly when a nurse bustled into the room. She was savouring every spoonful, but it was almost gone. And she was still hungry.
âHello there,â the nurse said cheerily, then checked the chart that hung on the end of the bed. âNow, what do we have here?â she mumbled to herself as she read. âAppendix, huh?â
It was a different nurse again. Alice noticed that they seemed to change quite regularly. This one wore a nametag that said âPamâ.
âAh,â said Pam. âLooks like weâre going to get you up and about properly today.â
Alice groaned. She didnât feel like gettingout of bed. Moving around was still uncomfortable.
âBest to be active as quickly as possible,â said Pam. âIt actually helps with the recovery and gets your bowels moving, which is really important. Donât want to get constipated. Pushing and straining isnât good when youâve had a tummy operation.â
Alice felt her face getting hotter as the nurse kept talking.
The nurse began to do the regular checks â checks that seemed to happen way too often, as far as Alice was concerned. Even during the night, nurses kept waking her up every few hours to check her temperature, heart and blood pressure, and to ask her if she was feeling okay. She would have felt a lot better if theyâd just let her sleep.
Pam moved the tray-table aside as she checked the dressing.
âHow does it look?â asked Alice.
âHealing nicely. Want to see?â Pam held back the dressing and Alice caught a glimpse of puckered skin, rough stitches and dried blood before she turned away with a squeal.
âWill I have a horrible scar?â she asked.
âNo.â Pam laughed. âYou had key-hole surgery, which involves three tiny little incisions. So youâll only have three tiny little scars. Hardly noticeable. The days of long scars across the tummy are gone.â
Alice wasnât sure if she was relieved or disappointed. A big scar mightâve been interesting. A sort-of trophy to show people. Then again, maybe it was better this way.
Her first solo walk was painful and awkward. Alice didnât get very far. She shuffled from one side of her bed to the other, the IV drip on a tall metal stand that had to be wheeled with her.
The nurse seemed happy with her movement. Then she asked Alice about her âbowel motionsâ again. Why is everyone so obsessed with poo? Alice wondered.
The nurse came back not long after and got her out of bed again.
And again.
And again.
Each time the nurse asked about her bowels. When Alice finally went to the toilet for a poo, she half expected the nurses to throw a party.
By the end of the day, Alice was wandering up and down the corridors on her own.
The morning after, a nurse came in to remove the IV needle from the back of her hand. Alice closed her eyes. It was funny ⦠sheâd had an operation, but it was this needle that bothered her the most.
And then she was discharged, in a taxi with Grandad and then getting on a bus.
âIâve had enough of planes,â said Grandad. âBesides, the bus is cheaper.â
Alice would have preferred otherwise. She had decided that she liked planes. If she could survive a flight in a storm â with appendicitis â she could handle anything. And she definitely wanted to fly again.
âWelcome home!â everyone shouted as Alice and Grandad walked in the door.
The lounge room was full of people. There were streamers and balloons, and a handwritten sign with mismatched letters that said WELCOME HOME, ALICE. Also on the sign was a strange brown squiggly object after her name. She wasnâtsure if it was supposed to be a deformed sausage or something.
She had barely gone two steps in before Mum was hugging her. It was a little too strong a hug given that
âLove you too, honey. Love you, too.â
Alice was finishing off her jelly when a nurse bustled into the room. She was savouring every spoonful, but it was almost gone. And she was still hungry.
âHello there,â the nurse said cheerily, then checked the chart that hung on the end of the bed. âNow, what do we have here?â she mumbled to herself as she read. âAppendix, huh?â
It was a different nurse again. Alice noticed that they seemed to change quite regularly. This one wore a nametag that said âPamâ.
âAh,â said Pam. âLooks like weâre going to get you up and about properly today.â
Alice groaned. She didnât feel like gettingout of bed. Moving around was still uncomfortable.
âBest to be active as quickly as possible,â said Pam. âIt actually helps with the recovery and gets your bowels moving, which is really important. Donât want to get constipated. Pushing and straining isnât good when youâve had a tummy operation.â
Alice felt her face getting hotter as the nurse kept talking.
The nurse began to do the regular checks â checks that seemed to happen way too often, as far as Alice was concerned. Even during the night, nurses kept waking her up every few hours to check her temperature, heart and blood pressure, and to ask her if she was feeling okay. She would have felt a lot better if theyâd just let her sleep.
Pam moved the tray-table aside as she checked the dressing.
âHow does it look?â asked Alice.
âHealing nicely. Want to see?â Pam held back the dressing and Alice caught a glimpse of puckered skin, rough stitches and dried blood before she turned away with a squeal.
âWill I have a horrible scar?â she asked.
âNo.â Pam laughed. âYou had key-hole surgery, which involves three tiny little incisions. So youâll only have three tiny little scars. Hardly noticeable. The days of long scars across the tummy are gone.â
Alice wasnât sure if she was relieved or disappointed. A big scar mightâve been interesting. A sort-of trophy to show people. Then again, maybe it was better this way.
Her first solo walk was painful and awkward. Alice didnât get very far. She shuffled from one side of her bed to the other, the IV drip on a tall metal stand that had to be wheeled with her.
The nurse seemed happy with her movement. Then she asked Alice about her âbowel motionsâ again. Why is everyone so obsessed with poo? Alice wondered.
The nurse came back not long after and got her out of bed again.
And again.
And again.
Each time the nurse asked about her bowels. When Alice finally went to the toilet for a poo, she half expected the nurses to throw a party.
By the end of the day, Alice was wandering up and down the corridors on her own.
The morning after, a nurse came in to remove the IV needle from the back of her hand. Alice closed her eyes. It was funny ⦠sheâd had an operation, but it was this needle that bothered her the most.
And then she was discharged, in a taxi with Grandad and then getting on a bus.
âIâve had enough of planes,â said Grandad. âBesides, the bus is cheaper.â
Alice would have preferred otherwise. She had decided that she liked planes. If she could survive a flight in a storm â with appendicitis â she could handle anything. And she definitely wanted to fly again.
âWelcome home!â everyone shouted as Alice and Grandad walked in the door.
The lounge room was full of people. There were streamers and balloons, and a handwritten sign with mismatched letters that said WELCOME HOME, ALICE. Also on the sign was a strange brown squiggly object after her name. She wasnâtsure if it was supposed to be a deformed sausage or something.
She had barely gone two steps in before Mum was hugging her. It was a little too strong a hug given that
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