must be better.”
“Margaret!” Lynda blurted through a grin. “I hope you weren’t waiting long.” She got out of the wheelchair while it was still moving, her right hand wrapped around the I.V. pole.
“Lynda!” Mary snapped. “Y’want me to chop off your heels with this thing?”
Lynda ignored her. She stood in front of Margaret, leaning against the bed’s side rail. “So, what’s for breakfast today?”
Margaret smiled, chewing her food. “You name it, I’ve probably got it here. Two breakfast sandwiches, a breakfast burrito, scrambled eggs, French toast sticks — ”
“Oh, those look good.” Lynda plucked one of the sticks from Margaret’s lap, where everything was neatly arranged on the flattened bag. She plopped the whole thing into her mouth and chewed enthusiastically. “Mmm, great.”
“I’ve got some syrup, if you want to dip them.”
Lynda took another and dipped it into the small container of syrup. “Even better!” she said, talking with her mouth full.
“You sure you wanna be eatin’ that, love?” Mary asked. “I mean, if you’re hungry, that’s good. But maybe you should be startin’ with somethin’ a little easier to digest.”
“No, I’m fine,” Lynda said casually, almost dismissively. “Mary, my sister Margaret. Margaret, my favorite nurse Mary.”
Then she walked around the bed with her I.V. pole, flopped onto the mattress like a child and once again assumed her Indian-style sitting position. Before Mary could leave the room with the wheelchair, Lynda said, “Hey, Mary, do you think I could get something to eat?”
The woman — in her forties, slender, with dark hair — turned to Lynda.
“Well, honey, if you’re feelin’ like a bite, maybe I could bring some Jell-O or some — ”
“No, no, I mean something like a sandwich.”
Mary propped a fist on her hip, her elbow jutting. “Oh, it’s a sandwich you’re wantin’.” Smirking, she added, “And I suppose I’ll be cleanin’ the mess after it’s gone down and come back up again.”
“I had a bowl of soup last night. That didn’t come back up.”
“Well, there’s a big difference between soup and a sandwich. Soup or Jell-O I can get you. Anything more solid than that, you’ll have to talk to Dr. Plummer. He’ll be in soon.”
Lynda shrugged. “Okay, Mary. Thanks.”
The nurse started out of the room, but stopped again and turned to Lynda, pointing at Margaret’s lap. “And don’t be eatin’ none of that stuff, either. You start spittin’ it all back up, I just might make you clean the mess, lassie!”
As Mary pushed the wheelchair out of the room, Lynda laughed and said to Margaret, “I love her. She likes to make everybody think she’s a tough cookie, but she’s really very sweet. And funny, too. So. How are you?”
“Well, if I keep this up, I’m going to be very fat again, very fast.” Margaret put her breakfast on the bed table beside the vase of flowers she’d brought the day before. “What kind of tests did they do?”
“Just one. An MRI. No big deal. Dr. Plummer said he’d be in right away, but I’ll bet we don’t see him until this afternoon. That’s the way these doctor’s work, no matter how good looking they are. So, tell me, Margaret. Are you going to the reunion tomorrow night?”
“Yes, that’s right, today’s Friday. It’s tomorrow, isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh. And you’re going, aren’t you? I bet you even brought a nice dress with you, didn’t you?”
“Well . . . I brought one nice dress, yes. But I’m thinking maybe I should go out and buy a new one for the occasion. If I go that is.”
“Good girl. And I know just the place. Daphne’s. It’s a little hole in the wall right in the middle of town. Daphne carries some great stuff, and it’s all perfect for your body. And I have a tab at Daphne’s. I’ll call ahead and you can — ”
“I’ve got money, Lynda. For crying out loud, why would I want to put my dress on your
“Margaret!” Lynda blurted through a grin. “I hope you weren’t waiting long.” She got out of the wheelchair while it was still moving, her right hand wrapped around the I.V. pole.
“Lynda!” Mary snapped. “Y’want me to chop off your heels with this thing?”
Lynda ignored her. She stood in front of Margaret, leaning against the bed’s side rail. “So, what’s for breakfast today?”
Margaret smiled, chewing her food. “You name it, I’ve probably got it here. Two breakfast sandwiches, a breakfast burrito, scrambled eggs, French toast sticks — ”
“Oh, those look good.” Lynda plucked one of the sticks from Margaret’s lap, where everything was neatly arranged on the flattened bag. She plopped the whole thing into her mouth and chewed enthusiastically. “Mmm, great.”
“I’ve got some syrup, if you want to dip them.”
Lynda took another and dipped it into the small container of syrup. “Even better!” she said, talking with her mouth full.
“You sure you wanna be eatin’ that, love?” Mary asked. “I mean, if you’re hungry, that’s good. But maybe you should be startin’ with somethin’ a little easier to digest.”
“No, I’m fine,” Lynda said casually, almost dismissively. “Mary, my sister Margaret. Margaret, my favorite nurse Mary.”
Then she walked around the bed with her I.V. pole, flopped onto the mattress like a child and once again assumed her Indian-style sitting position. Before Mary could leave the room with the wheelchair, Lynda said, “Hey, Mary, do you think I could get something to eat?”
The woman — in her forties, slender, with dark hair — turned to Lynda.
“Well, honey, if you’re feelin’ like a bite, maybe I could bring some Jell-O or some — ”
“No, no, I mean something like a sandwich.”
Mary propped a fist on her hip, her elbow jutting. “Oh, it’s a sandwich you’re wantin’.” Smirking, she added, “And I suppose I’ll be cleanin’ the mess after it’s gone down and come back up again.”
“I had a bowl of soup last night. That didn’t come back up.”
“Well, there’s a big difference between soup and a sandwich. Soup or Jell-O I can get you. Anything more solid than that, you’ll have to talk to Dr. Plummer. He’ll be in soon.”
Lynda shrugged. “Okay, Mary. Thanks.”
The nurse started out of the room, but stopped again and turned to Lynda, pointing at Margaret’s lap. “And don’t be eatin’ none of that stuff, either. You start spittin’ it all back up, I just might make you clean the mess, lassie!”
As Mary pushed the wheelchair out of the room, Lynda laughed and said to Margaret, “I love her. She likes to make everybody think she’s a tough cookie, but she’s really very sweet. And funny, too. So. How are you?”
“Well, if I keep this up, I’m going to be very fat again, very fast.” Margaret put her breakfast on the bed table beside the vase of flowers she’d brought the day before. “What kind of tests did they do?”
“Just one. An MRI. No big deal. Dr. Plummer said he’d be in right away, but I’ll bet we don’t see him until this afternoon. That’s the way these doctor’s work, no matter how good looking they are. So, tell me, Margaret. Are you going to the reunion tomorrow night?”
“Yes, that’s right, today’s Friday. It’s tomorrow, isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh. And you’re going, aren’t you? I bet you even brought a nice dress with you, didn’t you?”
“Well . . . I brought one nice dress, yes. But I’m thinking maybe I should go out and buy a new one for the occasion. If I go that is.”
“Good girl. And I know just the place. Daphne’s. It’s a little hole in the wall right in the middle of town. Daphne carries some great stuff, and it’s all perfect for your body. And I have a tab at Daphne’s. I’ll call ahead and you can — ”
“I’ve got money, Lynda. For crying out loud, why would I want to put my dress on your
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