Ryan had come back with me while I got my cast on. I choose traditional off-
white because the only other option was pink. Not exactly the best color
for me.
"So, how did you fall, Seth?" The doctor asked, while taking a look at my wrist.
"Was it like this?" He inquired, and bent his own wrist back so his fingers were nearly touching his forearm.
I shook my head, and looked bout his office. He said something else that I didn't hear and he touched my shoulder to get my attention.
"Hm? What'd you say?" I asked.
"I asked you if it bent this way..." He said again, and bent his wrist forward.
"Yeah." I said, nodding my head.
"Alright, then..." He replied, and looked over to Ryan for a moment, then back to me, "let's get goin' so you two can get out of here." He smiled at me, and I just knew he would offer me a "wollipop" when he finished.
He wrapped damp bandages around my wrist and up my arm, thankfully not above my elbow, and then he placed the cast on. His pager went off, and he slowly set my arm down on my thigh. He checked his pager, and then looked to me.
"I'm sorry. I've got to take this. I'll be back in a few moments." He stated, and exited the room, leaving Ryan and me alone. It was utterly still, and then Ryan finally broke the silence by asking,
"So what were you counting before?"
"It's stupid." I replied a few moments after, and he gave me this look that said, "Tell me"
"Letters... I was counting letters."
"How?" He asked.
"Okay.... How" I said, and counted the letters aloud, "Three letters in How... H is the eighth letter in the alphabet. O is the fifteenth, and W is the twenty-third. Now add them up. Three plus eight plus fifteen plus twenty- three. So it would be..." I paused, adding it up in my head, and opened my mouth to answer.
"Forty-nine..." Ryan interrupted, nodding his head.
I glared at him playfully, and he got up from the chair.
"Yeah, well, it's easy to add them all up after you figure out where each letter is at in the alphabet." I replied.
"You seem pretty good at it." He said, picking up a utensil, and observing it.
"I've had a lot of practice."
He looked back at me, about to ask another question, when the doctor came through the door.
"Hey... I'm back." He announced, and walked over to me, "How's it feel?"
"Hard." I replied, tapping the cast with my finger.
"Good." He said, then added, "let me just get you a sling and you'll be out of here." He walked over to a cabinet, and eyed Ryan who was holding his stethoscope, and Ryan put it down with an embarrassed smile. He pulled out a blue sling, and adjusted it for me, and placed it over my shoulder and on my arm.
"All set." He said with a smile.
"Great." I responded, and got up from the small bed. I felt lightheaded again, and my knees buckled under my weight, and I would have fell if the doctor hadn't caught me.
"Whoa, there." The doctor said, and helped me regain my balance, "are you alright?"
I nodded my head, but that didn't stop Ryan.
"That's the second time that happened tonight, Seth." Ryan said worriedly.
"I'm fine, Ryan" I answered, and then looked to the doctor, "I'm fine... really."
"Alright..." He said not sounding very convinced but then he added, "see you in a few weeks."
"Right." I nodded, and Ryan and I left the room.
We walked down the hall, and I stopped him before we came to the door, and he looked at me strangely.
"Listen... don't tell Mom and Dad about that back there. I don't want them to get all overly worried and smother me because I'm a wimp that gets dizzy." I said, smiling, and hoping he would just buy it.
"Alright..." He said after a few moments and opened the door for me.
We both walked out of the door, and were instantly met with Mom and Dad, who were waiting by the door. We made our way through the crowd of people, and out to our car. We all got in and Dad started up the engine, and pulled out.
"So quite the night we all had." He said with a small chuckle and glanced at me in the mirror.
I looked over to Ryan who was staring out of the window, and I wondered if he was onto me. I sighed, and rested my head on door. I closed my eyes, and wanted nothing but sleep. It felt like it had only been a few seconds, when someone shook my shoulder.
"We're home..."
"So, how did you fall, Seth?" The doctor asked, while taking a look at my wrist.
"Was it like this?" He inquired, and bent his own wrist back so his fingers were nearly touching his forearm.
I shook my head, and looked bout his office. He said something else that I didn't hear and he touched my shoulder to get my attention.
"Hm? What'd you say?" I asked.
"I asked you if it bent this way..." He said again, and bent his wrist forward.
"Yeah." I said, nodding my head.
"Alright, then..." He replied, and looked over to Ryan for a moment, then back to me, "let's get goin' so you two can get out of here." He smiled at me, and I just knew he would offer me a "wollipop" when he finished.
He wrapped damp bandages around my wrist and up my arm, thankfully not above my elbow, and then he placed the cast on. His pager went off, and he slowly set my arm down on my thigh. He checked his pager, and then looked to me.
"I'm sorry. I've got to take this. I'll be back in a few moments." He stated, and exited the room, leaving Ryan and me alone. It was utterly still, and then Ryan finally broke the silence by asking,
"So what were you counting before?"
"It's stupid." I replied a few moments after, and he gave me this look that said, "Tell me"
"Letters... I was counting letters."
"How?" He asked.
"Okay.... How" I said, and counted the letters aloud, "Three letters in How... H is the eighth letter in the alphabet. O is the fifteenth, and W is the twenty-third. Now add them up. Three plus eight plus fifteen plus twenty- three. So it would be..." I paused, adding it up in my head, and opened my mouth to answer.
"Forty-nine..." Ryan interrupted, nodding his head.
I glared at him playfully, and he got up from the chair.
"Yeah, well, it's easy to add them all up after you figure out where each letter is at in the alphabet." I replied.
"You seem pretty good at it." He said, picking up a utensil, and observing it.
"I've had a lot of practice."
He looked back at me, about to ask another question, when the doctor came through the door.
"Hey... I'm back." He announced, and walked over to me, "How's it feel?"
"Hard." I replied, tapping the cast with my finger.
"Good." He said, then added, "let me just get you a sling and you'll be out of here." He walked over to a cabinet, and eyed Ryan who was holding his stethoscope, and Ryan put it down with an embarrassed smile. He pulled out a blue sling, and adjusted it for me, and placed it over my shoulder and on my arm.
"All set." He said with a smile.
"Great." I responded, and got up from the small bed. I felt lightheaded again, and my knees buckled under my weight, and I would have fell if the doctor hadn't caught me.
"Whoa, there." The doctor said, and helped me regain my balance, "are you alright?"
I nodded my head, but that didn't stop Ryan.
"That's the second time that happened tonight, Seth." Ryan said worriedly.
"I'm fine, Ryan" I answered, and then looked to the doctor, "I'm fine... really."
"Alright..." He said not sounding very convinced but then he added, "see you in a few weeks."
"Right." I nodded, and Ryan and I left the room.
We walked down the hall, and I stopped him before we came to the door, and he looked at me strangely.
"Listen... don't tell Mom and Dad about that back there. I don't want them to get all overly worried and smother me because I'm a wimp that gets dizzy." I said, smiling, and hoping he would just buy it.
"Alright..." He said after a few moments and opened the door for me.
We both walked out of the door, and were instantly met with Mom and Dad, who were waiting by the door. We made our way through the crowd of people, and out to our car. We all got in and Dad started up the engine, and pulled out.
"So quite the night we all had." He said with a small chuckle and glanced at me in the mirror.
I looked over to Ryan who was staring out of the window, and I wondered if he was onto me. I sighed, and rested my head on door. I closed my eyes, and wanted nothing but sleep. It felt like it had only been a few seconds, when someone shook my shoulder.
"We're home..."