I was supposed to be on vacation this week, but unfortunately it rained all the time. At least I had some rest at home and had more time to write: D
I've been looking forward to this chapter for a long time, so I hope you like it. Enjoy it!
9. John's Biggest Fight
"Quick, hurry up!" came muffled voices from behind the hospital lobby, where the largest surgery in the history of modern medicine was being prepared. While the doctors were preparing medical equipment, Frank was looking for his wife. He searched all the rooms until he found her in Slickstein's office. She sat at his desk, writing notes on a small sheet of paper.
"What are you doing here, Sophie? It's time to go!" Frank said angrily.
"I know," said Sophie, who was finishing her final calculations. "I just wanted to look at the plans one last time. I hope we haven't forgotten anything."
"Certainly not. Come on, I'll help you," he said, handing her a white coat.
Sophie smiled. She turned to her husband, who tied her face mask as she put on her surgical gloves. It was the very first time she had to work with a scalpel in her hand and she was very scared.
"Are you ready?" he asked her, looking into her eyes.
She nodded and they both left the room.
As they walked down the long white corridor to the operating room, an important memory came to Sophie's mind...
** "Wow! Sophie look at that plane!" cried the little boy, playing in the garden, looking up at the sky.
"I see it," Sophie told her younger brother. "The military is holding an air show next week."
"It's flying so high! I'd like to be able to fly too."
"Are you serious?" she asked him. "Do you really want to?"
He nodded.
"Wait, something occurred to me!" Sophie said and disappeared into the shed.
John didn't understand what she wanted to do. From the shed, there was a long time to hear the wood cutting and the hammer banging.
"Tadaaa!" Sophie exclaimed excitedly as she showed him her invention. "What do you think?"
"Are you sure this will work?" he asked her embarrassed.
"Don't you believe me !? Come on, let's go try it," she said, pointing to the roof of their house.
As John climbed to the top, his sister waved at him. "Are you ready?"
"I'm always ready!" he said confidently.
Sophie started counting down "3, 2, 1 ... START!"
John jumped down and spread his wooden wings. "Wowsers! I'm falling!" he shouted and crashed into the shed with the flying machine.
"John! Are you okay?" she called to him and ran after him across the freshly mown lawn.
"Ouch!" cried the little boy in pain. "My leg! It hurts so bad."
"It's broken," she said worriedly. "Wait, I'll call the doctor."
Later that evening, John returned home with crutches and one leg in plaster. The doctor told his parents that it would be nothing serious and that their son would soon be able to walk normally again. Before they went to bed, John sat in a chair in Sophie's room, talking to her.
"Well, we haven't been very successful this flight," Sophie said as she dressed him in his pajamas. "What do you think?"
"You're right, we didn't do well," John said, laughing."At least you have time to finish it."
Sophie looked sad. "I can't, mom forbade me to create anything. She said I almost maimed you. I have to practice the piano now," she said, touching the white keys.
"You play really beautifully," John said, listening carefully to the familiar tune.
"Do you want to learn it?" she asked him with a smile. "It's not that hard."
John wasn't entirely sure. "I don't know, you know I can't do anything..."
"Never say that! Come here!" she said, getting up from her chair.
John obeyed. He took her seat and placed his fingers on the piano. It was awful at first. He kept messing up the music and it was impossible to listen to it. But Sophie had patience with him. It took him a long time to play the tune correctly. Their mother was sitting downstairs in the kitchen listening intently... **
*It will work this time, my little brother. I promise,* Sophie thought and entered the room, where many doctors were waiting for her.
"It is said that happiness is a fleeting thing and therefore it is better to give it up. However, this did not apply to these courageous scientists who decided to take human destiny into own hands. Everyone was ready to win this fight."
There was a long whistling sound.
"We're losing him!"
Sophie closed her eyes. She wanted to run away quickly, far away. But now she couldn't give up, not now.
"He needs adrenaline, fast!" shouted Professor Von Slickstein, his hands trying to stop the internal bleeding.
"He has no pulse," Frank said as he looked at the monitor. "Professor, do something!"
"We have to finish it now! Give me the pliers."
Sophie began to cry. She panicked. Her hands shook and she was no longer able to continue her work.
"Frank, get her out of here! She doesn't have to see this," Von Slickstein said as he picked up the defibrator.
Frank obeyed. He took Sophie and pulled her away.
"JOHN!" she shouted desperately.
"Step back!" said the professor, striking John's body with a powerful electric shock.
"No pulse," said one of the sisters.
Slickstein frowned. "Again!"
"No pulse."
Sophie watched it all through the glass window, she stopped hoping.
"Come on!" he shouted, repeating it one last time. He knew this was over.
Suddenly there was a regular beep and a straight line on the monitor began to zigzag. John's heart started beating again.
"Blood pressure 90 to 60. Heart rate 40 beats per minute and increases. John is out of danger."
There was a wave of enthusiasm. Everyone was very happy. The doctors began to congratulate each other, and Sophie hugged Professor Von Slickstein tightly. For the first time in this world, science has been able to overcome the human destiny.
Penny, meanwhile, was waiting at home. She sat with Brain on the sofa in the living room, watching the clock impatiently. They were both very nervous.
"Mom should call at any moment..."
*Phone rang.*
"Hello?"
She recognized her mother's enthusiastic voice immediately. "Penny! Honey, we did it!"
"What?! Really? Hurray!" Penny shouted enthusiastically and began to dance around the room.
"I'm so happy, Brain," she said with a smile and hugged her dog. "The operation was a success! Uncle John will get well."
To be continued...