The next morning..
"Marc, it's time to get up." Lu called to Marc. Marc lazily walked out of his room. "I have to leave early today Marc, but please don't forget to talk to Rachel, and do whatever you have to do to get her to the clinic. Drag her by her hair if you have to, wait you wouldn't do that, cause then what would you have to gaze at?" Lu lovingly punched Marc in the shoulder. "Cut it out Mom." "Ok Marc, but I am dead serious get her to the clinic." "I will Mom, don't worry." "Bye honey." Lu kissed him on the cheek and left. Marc left for school and hurried to find Rachel. He found her by her locker, and her ankle looked like it had swelled up a lot over night. He also noticed she was touching her shoulder like it hurt. "Here goes nothing." Marc thought to himself.
"I'm fine Marc, really, I'll be ok, and I don't need your Mom to help me." Rachel's blue eyes sparked with defiance as Marc insisted that she go see Lu for her ankle. "Rache, it looks worse today, all black and blue, and stuff, shouldn't you get it wrapped or something and it probably isn't just twisted it's probably broken. Just come with me, my Mom is the best doctor in all of Philly, and she's really nice. I promise you will be okay, and I will be with you. So will you please come with me after school to her clinic?" Marc really began to lay it on thick. "Ok fine Marc, I'll do it so you will stop bugging me about it." "Great, I'll come to your 6th hour class and we can walk there together, if you can walk." Rachel rolled her eyes and pushed her long brown hair to one side. "Okay Marc I'll see you then."
At the clinic...
"Okay Kellie, I want you to come back if that fever gets any higher ok?" Lu tells her young patient. "Okay Lu." She replied. Lu walked her patient out of the clinic and saw Marc supporting a young girl who is limping badly. "Hey Mom, this is Rachel Connelly, she hurt her ankle dancing." "Hi Rachel, I'm Dr. Delgado, but you can call me Lu. That ankle looks pretty bad, let's get you into a room and we will see what we can do to fix it." "Thanks Lu, but I don't think its all that bad, just a twisted ankle from dancing on point. It happens a lot and now that I think of it, I should really get home, so I will let you get back to more important patients." Rachel suddenly broke free of Marc's grasp and attempted to walk towards the door, but hobbling she doesn't get very far. Marc looked shocked, "Rachel you promised you would let my Mom look at you, she's really good at what she does, and it will only make you feel better, not worse." Fighting off the pain her throbbing ankle was giving her Rachel said to Lu and Marc "Really guys, I'm fine, it doesn't even hurt anymore, I will ice my ankle tonight, stay off it, you know wrap it, all of that, I'm just fine." "Maybe you are honey, but it couldn't hurt to just have me look at it could it, and Marc can stay with you if that would make you feel better." Lu said in a reassuring voice, which almost made it impossible for Rachel to argue with. Rachel did desperately want to argue, but she tried to walk again and gasped out in pain. Lu took a few steps towards Rachel, and led her away from the door. "Okay, Okay, sweetie c'mon let's go." Lu said in a very calming voice. Lu had dealt with difficult and scared patients before and she knew just how to ease Rachel's fears. Marc helped Rachel to an exam room and up on the table. Lu left the room to get a chart for Rachel and tells her she will be right back. Rachel continued to look a little frightened. "What's the matter Rachel, are you scared of doctors or something?" Marc questioned her. Rachel started to laugh, and her face went back to normal. "Oh no, she's really nice, Marc, you are so lucky." "Yep, I am." "Ok hon, I'm going to examine your ankle, just tell me when it hurts, and where exactly it hurts." Lu touched it gingerly and tried to move it to the side. "Oww, yeah that hurts really bad." Marc looked at Rachel with concern, "I knew it hurt badly, I should have made you come here yesterday." Marc muttered under his breath. "It's ok Marc, I'm fine." "Ok Rache, let's go get an x-ray of that ankle, and we will know what we are dealing with." "Oh alright." Rachel reluctantly agreed. Lu pats Rachel on her right shoulder and helps her down but as she does so she notices Rachel winced when she touched her. Lu can't help but think that she only barely touched her. "Sweetie, is your shoulder hurt also? Do you have any other injuries?" "Oh, my shoulder that, ummm, I umm fell when I was turning, being on point shoes makes falls much worse." Lu doesn't look like she buys her story. "Ok well I think we should get a full body x-ray to know where you are exactly hurt so we can treat it. Would that be ok with you?" "Well, uhh, I don't think I can afford all of this so I'll just take the one ankle x-ray and that will be enough for me, it's really nice of you to be so concerned, but I don't need all of this." "Well you are in luck, this is a free clinic and everything is on the house, the tests, the exam, you don't have to pay for any of it." "That's great Lu, but uhh, I have to get home to uhh do my homework, and my Dad would be so mad if I was late, so please can I just get my ankle x-rayed and taken care of, and then I could go home?" "Alright sweetie, but I cross my heart a full body x-ray won't take long, so I'm adding it to your workup, so let's get you down there right now." Lu tells Rachel very firmly. "Rachel's normally lit up face had turned ghostly white, and she got goose bumps. She started to mumble things out loud, "you won't understand, I fall a lot, dancing is rough, it's hard, I'm not good, the wood floor is hard." "Rachel, are you ok?" Lu said as she helped her walk down to x-ray. Rachel's cheery disposition returned and she smiled at Lu and Marc. "Oh yeah, I was just saying that dancing is hard, and injuries are inevitable. "Whatever." said a disbelieving Lu. Marc had remained silent this whole time just staring at Rachel's ankle. They reached x-ray and as Lu told the technician that she wanted a full body x-ray. Marc finally spoke, "are you sure Mom that this isn't overkill?' "Yeah Marc, something is going on with her, and I don't know what it is, but I am going to find out. She is lying and I know it."
"Marc, it's time to get up." Lu called to Marc. Marc lazily walked out of his room. "I have to leave early today Marc, but please don't forget to talk to Rachel, and do whatever you have to do to get her to the clinic. Drag her by her hair if you have to, wait you wouldn't do that, cause then what would you have to gaze at?" Lu lovingly punched Marc in the shoulder. "Cut it out Mom." "Ok Marc, but I am dead serious get her to the clinic." "I will Mom, don't worry." "Bye honey." Lu kissed him on the cheek and left. Marc left for school and hurried to find Rachel. He found her by her locker, and her ankle looked like it had swelled up a lot over night. He also noticed she was touching her shoulder like it hurt. "Here goes nothing." Marc thought to himself.
"I'm fine Marc, really, I'll be ok, and I don't need your Mom to help me." Rachel's blue eyes sparked with defiance as Marc insisted that she go see Lu for her ankle. "Rache, it looks worse today, all black and blue, and stuff, shouldn't you get it wrapped or something and it probably isn't just twisted it's probably broken. Just come with me, my Mom is the best doctor in all of Philly, and she's really nice. I promise you will be okay, and I will be with you. So will you please come with me after school to her clinic?" Marc really began to lay it on thick. "Ok fine Marc, I'll do it so you will stop bugging me about it." "Great, I'll come to your 6th hour class and we can walk there together, if you can walk." Rachel rolled her eyes and pushed her long brown hair to one side. "Okay Marc I'll see you then."
At the clinic...
"Okay Kellie, I want you to come back if that fever gets any higher ok?" Lu tells her young patient. "Okay Lu." She replied. Lu walked her patient out of the clinic and saw Marc supporting a young girl who is limping badly. "Hey Mom, this is Rachel Connelly, she hurt her ankle dancing." "Hi Rachel, I'm Dr. Delgado, but you can call me Lu. That ankle looks pretty bad, let's get you into a room and we will see what we can do to fix it." "Thanks Lu, but I don't think its all that bad, just a twisted ankle from dancing on point. It happens a lot and now that I think of it, I should really get home, so I will let you get back to more important patients." Rachel suddenly broke free of Marc's grasp and attempted to walk towards the door, but hobbling she doesn't get very far. Marc looked shocked, "Rachel you promised you would let my Mom look at you, she's really good at what she does, and it will only make you feel better, not worse." Fighting off the pain her throbbing ankle was giving her Rachel said to Lu and Marc "Really guys, I'm fine, it doesn't even hurt anymore, I will ice my ankle tonight, stay off it, you know wrap it, all of that, I'm just fine." "Maybe you are honey, but it couldn't hurt to just have me look at it could it, and Marc can stay with you if that would make you feel better." Lu said in a reassuring voice, which almost made it impossible for Rachel to argue with. Rachel did desperately want to argue, but she tried to walk again and gasped out in pain. Lu took a few steps towards Rachel, and led her away from the door. "Okay, Okay, sweetie c'mon let's go." Lu said in a very calming voice. Lu had dealt with difficult and scared patients before and she knew just how to ease Rachel's fears. Marc helped Rachel to an exam room and up on the table. Lu left the room to get a chart for Rachel and tells her she will be right back. Rachel continued to look a little frightened. "What's the matter Rachel, are you scared of doctors or something?" Marc questioned her. Rachel started to laugh, and her face went back to normal. "Oh no, she's really nice, Marc, you are so lucky." "Yep, I am." "Ok hon, I'm going to examine your ankle, just tell me when it hurts, and where exactly it hurts." Lu touched it gingerly and tried to move it to the side. "Oww, yeah that hurts really bad." Marc looked at Rachel with concern, "I knew it hurt badly, I should have made you come here yesterday." Marc muttered under his breath. "It's ok Marc, I'm fine." "Ok Rache, let's go get an x-ray of that ankle, and we will know what we are dealing with." "Oh alright." Rachel reluctantly agreed. Lu pats Rachel on her right shoulder and helps her down but as she does so she notices Rachel winced when she touched her. Lu can't help but think that she only barely touched her. "Sweetie, is your shoulder hurt also? Do you have any other injuries?" "Oh, my shoulder that, ummm, I umm fell when I was turning, being on point shoes makes falls much worse." Lu doesn't look like she buys her story. "Ok well I think we should get a full body x-ray to know where you are exactly hurt so we can treat it. Would that be ok with you?" "Well, uhh, I don't think I can afford all of this so I'll just take the one ankle x-ray and that will be enough for me, it's really nice of you to be so concerned, but I don't need all of this." "Well you are in luck, this is a free clinic and everything is on the house, the tests, the exam, you don't have to pay for any of it." "That's great Lu, but uhh, I have to get home to uhh do my homework, and my Dad would be so mad if I was late, so please can I just get my ankle x-rayed and taken care of, and then I could go home?" "Alright sweetie, but I cross my heart a full body x-ray won't take long, so I'm adding it to your workup, so let's get you down there right now." Lu tells Rachel very firmly. "Rachel's normally lit up face had turned ghostly white, and she got goose bumps. She started to mumble things out loud, "you won't understand, I fall a lot, dancing is rough, it's hard, I'm not good, the wood floor is hard." "Rachel, are you ok?" Lu said as she helped her walk down to x-ray. Rachel's cheery disposition returned and she smiled at Lu and Marc. "Oh yeah, I was just saying that dancing is hard, and injuries are inevitable. "Whatever." said a disbelieving Lu. Marc had remained silent this whole time just staring at Rachel's ankle. They reached x-ray and as Lu told the technician that she wanted a full body x-ray. Marc finally spoke, "are you sure Mom that this isn't overkill?' "Yeah Marc, something is going on with her, and I don't know what it is, but I am going to find out. She is lying and I know it."