CHAPTER 9: Welcome Home, Part One

The next morning, I was awakened early, but not quite as early as the day before, when Brian came into my room. "Hi, Karen," he smiled as he took the IV out of my arm. "Hey, guess what? Dr. Dellenkamp will be here this afternoon, and you might get to go home then."

"I hope so," I whispered.

Soon after Brian left, Daddy arrived. "I might get to come home this afternoon," I told him.

Brian returned to my room after the nurse had left with my breakfast tray. "How about taking another walk?" he asked.

I nodded, and he helped me up.

Daddy and I walked up and down the hall, and I even peeked into the playroom. I saw a sandy-haired boy who looked about Andrew's age sitting at the table, playing with a toy truck. I didn't recognize him from Stoneybrook Academy, so I figured he went to either Stoneybrook Elementary or Stoneybrook Day. Anyway, one of his legs was propped up on a chair beside him, and a pair of crutches was leaning against the table. "Hi," I said as I walked into the room.

"Hi," he answered. "I'm Miko."

"I'm Karen," I said, shaking his hand. "You know, when I was in second grade, my class and I fixed up this playroom."

"Really?" he asked. "What are you here for?"

"I just had my tonsils out yesterday," I answered. "I'm leaving this afternoon. You?"

"I just had my left leg operated on a couple of days ago," he said, gesturing toward the crutches. "You see, when I was four, it got caught in the riding mower."

I couldn't help cringing. Just the thought of that happening was more than enough to turn even the strongest stomach, in my book.

"Yeah," Miko continued, "I had to be in a cast for six months, and I've had several operations on my leg over the past few years as I grew. The doctor says if I'm lucky, by the time I'm eighteen, I won't need them anymore."

"Well, good luck with that," I said. "I should get going. Hope to see you later. Nice meeting you."

"You, too."

When Daddy and I returned to my room, I said, "I want to sit in the chair." In case you're wondering, there's a chair in the room, but it's not for visitors, unless it happens to be the only one available, depending on how many visitors show up. It's for patients who are sick of staying in bed all the time.

"All right," Daddy said as he settled me in the chair, and laid my book and mp3 player in my lap, then sat in the chair on the opposite side of the room. That's when I noticed that my feet barely touched the floor. I guess I'm not as tall as I thought I was. Hopefully, I won't be this short forever.

I spent the morning alternating back and forth between listening to my mp3 player and reading my book. As soon as the nurse brought my lunch tray, I handed everything to Daddy. He put the glasses in their case, all three things in the bag, and laid my clothes on the bed.

I'd just finished lunch and set the tray aside when Dr. Dellenkamp came in. "Well, Karen, you can go home now," she said.

"Thanks," I said. I'd been wondering when that was going to happen.

As soon as the doctor had left, I took my outfit into the bathroom and changed clothes, used the toilet, and washed my hands. Almost as soon as I'd come out of the bathroom, laid the hospital gown on the bed, and sat down in the chair to put my sandals on, Brian returned with a wheelchair. "Ready?" he asked.

"I guess so," I answered as I sat in the wheelchair while another nurse came to take my empty lunch tray. Daddy picked up my duffel bag, and we walked out of the room.

When we got out to the parking lot, Brian actually had the presence of mind to wait until Daddy had brought the car around. I also remembered when Jason told me the story of when he'd gotten the scar on his face, and the nurse being a total idiot and not waiting until Diann had brought the car around. I'm just glad Brian has more sense than that, or else Daddy would've given him a piece of his mind. (I also knew that if Kristy had been there, she would've started humming the People's Court theme. Jason once told me she'd done that on his first day at SMS, after noticing that he'd brought his lunch from home, considering the fact that the cafeteria food pretty much sucks.)

I was glad to finally be going home.