Read Online Teaching the Dog to Read by Jonathan Carroll - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jonathan Carroll
Ads: Link
had written inside a large orange heart
LENA LOVES TONY. WHY?
When Dr. Mukherjee entered the room again several hours later it was because she had been called there by one of the duty nurses. These women had seen pretty much everything in their years working on the emergency ward but still now and then something extraordinary happened there that had them all buzzing. This time while walking quickly together down the hall to room 17, the nurse would say only that the doctor had to see this to believe it. Mukherjee didn’t like that kind of unprofessional blurry talk, but kept her mouth shut. She knew she was unpopular among the nursing staff. As a result, they were always looking for things to add to their “Dr. Legend the Loser” list. Yes, Mukherjee knew all about her nickname and that list because she had her spies. Oh yes, she most certainly had her spies. But the doctor chose to ignore both for now and get on with her duties.
The first thing she saw in room 17 when the nurse opened the door was the can opener. An everyday can opener sat on the patient’s bedside table for some reason. More improbably Anthony Areal, who gave every physical indication he would die the last time the doctor saw him, was sitting up in that bed with a big smile on his face while holding hands with the woman who’d been in there earlier.
“What’s happened here?”
Lena said “He woke up a while ago and we’ve been sitting here talking since then.”
Mukherjee glanced over at the nurse but the woman only shrugged and nodded agreement to what the fiancée had said. When the doctor looked away, the nurse made eye contact with Lena and gave her a big wink. She thought what had happened was miraculous and wonderful.
In contrast, Dr. Mukherjee did not like miracles. She liked facts, logic, things that made sense and all things teleological. That was one of the main reasons why she had gone into medicine. These kinds of inexplicable anomalies in her practice disturbed her greatly because they ran counter to everything she believed and wanted to believe about life and her life’s work. When 2&2 didn’t equal 4 in her day, no matter what the reason, some part of her very adept brain stopped, then started to burn and melt like film in a broken projector.
“Where is his chart?”
The nurse handed it over and stood back. She’d seen that look on the doctor’s face before and knew it could well lead to bitchy or nasty. Tony and Lena ignored both women and looked tenderly at each other, or now and then at their talismanic can opener.
The doctor reviewed all the numbers and notations on Anthony Areal’s chart but still disbelieving, did it again even more slowly. From all indications, this man should have been a goner.
“How do you feel?”
“Fine. Good. Like I woke up from a nap.”
“A nap ?” However professional she was normally, Mukherjee couldn’t keep the incredulity out of her voice.
“Yeah, exactly like that—a nap.” He looked again at his fiancée who radiated happiness.
“I need to speak with the original attending physician. I’ll be back.” The doctor turned on her heel and left the room, followed shortly by the nurse who couldn’t resist giving Lena another happy wink before she went away. Whether Tony’s lightning fast recovery was a miracle or not, the nurses on the emergency ward were always delighted when unexpected happy endings like this occurred in their otherwise sad outpost.
Mukherjee needed a place to talk to Tony’s doctor in private and ask certain vital questions. She knew the nurses wanted to hear the conversation, so she decided to go all the way back to her office to make the call in private, away from snooping ears.
“Who’s that?”
“One of my doctors. I remember her voice. I didn’t see her but that Indian accent…”
Although no one could see them, four men sat outside room 17 in the hospital hallway on chairs facing each other. Tony Day and Night on one side, Len
LENA LOVES TONY. WHY?
When Dr. Mukherjee entered the room again several hours later it was because she had been called there by one of the duty nurses. These women had seen pretty much everything in their years working on the emergency ward but still now and then something extraordinary happened there that had them all buzzing. This time while walking quickly together down the hall to room 17, the nurse would say only that the doctor had to see this to believe it. Mukherjee didn’t like that kind of unprofessional blurry talk, but kept her mouth shut. She knew she was unpopular among the nursing staff. As a result, they were always looking for things to add to their “Dr. Legend the Loser” list. Yes, Mukherjee knew all about her nickname and that list because she had her spies. Oh yes, she most certainly had her spies. But the doctor chose to ignore both for now and get on with her duties.
The first thing she saw in room 17 when the nurse opened the door was the can opener. An everyday can opener sat on the patient’s bedside table for some reason. More improbably Anthony Areal, who gave every physical indication he would die the last time the doctor saw him, was sitting up in that bed with a big smile on his face while holding hands with the woman who’d been in there earlier.
“What’s happened here?”
Lena said “He woke up a while ago and we’ve been sitting here talking since then.”
Mukherjee glanced over at the nurse but the woman only shrugged and nodded agreement to what the fiancée had said. When the doctor looked away, the nurse made eye contact with Lena and gave her a big wink. She thought what had happened was miraculous and wonderful.
In contrast, Dr. Mukherjee did not like miracles. She liked facts, logic, things that made sense and all things teleological. That was one of the main reasons why she had gone into medicine. These kinds of inexplicable anomalies in her practice disturbed her greatly because they ran counter to everything she believed and wanted to believe about life and her life’s work. When 2&2 didn’t equal 4 in her day, no matter what the reason, some part of her very adept brain stopped, then started to burn and melt like film in a broken projector.
“Where is his chart?”
The nurse handed it over and stood back. She’d seen that look on the doctor’s face before and knew it could well lead to bitchy or nasty. Tony and Lena ignored both women and looked tenderly at each other, or now and then at their talismanic can opener.
The doctor reviewed all the numbers and notations on Anthony Areal’s chart but still disbelieving, did it again even more slowly. From all indications, this man should have been a goner.
“How do you feel?”
“Fine. Good. Like I woke up from a nap.”
“A nap ?” However professional she was normally, Mukherjee couldn’t keep the incredulity out of her voice.
“Yeah, exactly like that—a nap.” He looked again at his fiancée who radiated happiness.
“I need to speak with the original attending physician. I’ll be back.” The doctor turned on her heel and left the room, followed shortly by the nurse who couldn’t resist giving Lena another happy wink before she went away. Whether Tony’s lightning fast recovery was a miracle or not, the nurses on the emergency ward were always delighted when unexpected happy endings like this occurred in their otherwise sad outpost.
Mukherjee needed a place to talk to Tony’s doctor in private and ask certain vital questions. She knew the nurses wanted to hear the conversation, so she decided to go all the way back to her office to make the call in private, away from snooping ears.
“Who’s that?”
“One of my doctors. I remember her voice. I didn’t see her but that Indian accent…”
Although no one could see them, four men sat outside room 17 in the hospital hallway on chairs facing each other. Tony Day and Night on one side, Len
Similar Books
