I didn’t think I’d be anywhere near a hospital again so soon after the Half Dome disaster, but here I was in the emergency room at Kalispell Regional Hospital, waiting for Sunday and Rusty to be checked out. Rusty’s problem was obvious — her arm looked like raw hamburger. Sunday’s problem was a little more complicated.
“If his immunities are lowered, it could affect his leukemia treatment.” Sunday’s mom looked calm, but concerned. “He will need to stay overnight so they can do tests.”
“I knew it,” Brady said. “Can I go see him?”
“Not yet, but soon you can when he is in his own room. He asked that you go back to the house and pick up a pair of dry, orange shoes. Will you do that?” Sunday’s mom ruffled Brady’s hair with her hand. “By the way, Sunday said that you caught the biggest fish he has ever seen.”
“It’s too bad the bear ate it,” Brady said. “Dad, can we go get the shoes now?”
My dad stroked his clean-shaven chin. “Sure. Mom can stay here with the girls. Maybe we can also pick out a fishing magazine for you and Sunday to look at together.”
“Yeah,” Brady said.
My mom, Rusty, and I remained behind for the “hamburger” treatment.
A nurse named Diane made a nasty face when she first saw Rusty’s arm.
“Wow, that’s a mess. Do you know what you caught it on?” She took a brown bottle of something out of a cabinet and popped the cap. “This is going to sting.”
“Well,” Rusty said, “I’m not exactly . . . ouch . . . sure, because it was dark . . . ooh, that does sting . . . but I’m pretty sure it was a nail or a piece of jagged wood. Whew. Are you done torturing me yet?”
“Not until we get all the debris out of your arm. Looks like it was wood, because there are lots of pieces of something in here.” Diane turned to my mom. “When did your daughter have her last tetanus shot?”
Mom looked confused. “Oh, this isn’t my daughter. She’s my daughter’s friend.” She put her hand on Rusty’s shoulder. “We didn’t do a very good job taking care of you, did we Rusty?”
Diane stopped her torture treatment. “Oh, I see.” She grabbed a clipboard and flipped through some paperwork. “We contacted your parents, right? For permission to treat?”
“Oh, I’m sure they did,” Mom said. “We just got off the phone with her dad.”
Diane flipped through the papers some more. “Hang on,” she said, and she disappeared out the door.
“I bet you’re glad she’s gone,” I said. “You want me to hide that brown bottle?”
Rusty managed a ragged smile. “Please.”
A few minutes later, a different nurse appeared. “I’m Erma. I’ll be finishing up your treatment here and then the doctor will see you. Nurse Diane was pulled away to treat another patient, but she told me that you still had some chunks in your arm I need to fish out.”
Erma looked at Rusty’s arm and winced. “My, that is a nasty wound.” She grabbed a sponge out of a jar and took a minute to look around on the counter. Then she turned toward us, hands on her hips. “Have you girls seen a brown bottle anywhere around here?”