Hi, guys, I'm back with chapter two. This is a little bit longer, and, as I mentioned, will be all in italics. If the italics bothers anyone, let me know, and I'll change it. Hope you enjoy reading!
The Origin of the Ears
Chapter 2:
April 26th, 2014
Bob yawned as he rose from the shabby sofa in the living-room, and stretched. He glanced at the clock: 11:20pm. No wonder he was tired. Gene had finally gone to sleep; he kept coming out of his room, full of beans, to tell them about how he was going to big school soon.
Tina, of course, had obediently gone to sleep as soon as she was in bed, her little arms wound tightly around her Chariot doll.
He and Linda walked quietly down the hallway, and she carefully opened the door to Gene's bedroom. He was still asleep, thankfully, underwear-clad butt in the air, blanket on the floor. Linda placed it back over him, and gently kissed him on the forehead, and he smiled in his sleep.
They looked in on Louise, who had recently moved into the hallway closet, saying that she needed her own room. She was sleeping, her giant stuffed rabbit in her arms, her moon-shaped night light glowing on her bedside table. Her face screwed up slightly as Linda carefully removed her pink beanie, and switched the night light off.
Tina was lying on her back, Chariot in a death grip; she let out a little groan when Linda kissed her forehead, and shut the door. The parents then made their way to their own room.
"What a night," muttered Bob, pulling off his T-shirt. "I thought Gene would never settle down."
"He's excited, Bobby. He's a big boy now."
"I know, Lin, but if he doesn't sleep, he's gonna be a cranky big boy."
"Well, he's asleep now. Night, Bobby," Linda climbed into bed and removed her glasses.
"Night, Lin," Bob yawned, switching his lamp off, and falling asleep.
Bob was awakened several hours later by Linda shaking his shoulder.
"Bob! Bobby!" He grunted and opened his eyes to see her frantic face, her voice drowned out by a tell-tale beeping. He sat up, instantly wide awake.
"Oh, my God!"
"Bobby, we've gotta get the kids!" Stumbling out of bed, Bob flung open the bedroom door; where they were greeted by a huge cloud of black smoke. Through the acrid smoke, they could see bright orange flames licking the walls of the hallway. The smoke was so thick they could hardly see. The fire alarm was beeping madly. At the other end of the hall, they could hear Gene screaming.
Bob grabbed his shirt, and placed it over his mouth and nose. Taking Linda's hand, they both began to feel their way down the hall, their eyes watering from the dancing flames opposite them. Linda had her nightdress pulled up over her mouth and nose, as well.
Bob made Linda hug the wall, trying to shield her, as they held each other, coughing.
Bob breathed deeply into his shirt as he held Linda's arm tightly. He could feel her nails digging into his other arm, the sharp pain a reminder that this was not a dream, this was really happening. Their home was on fire, and they had to try and get their three children out. That knowledge kept him going; he had a family, and he needed to save them. He heard Linda coughing next to him, and he steered her down the hall, trying to stop her from inhaling the smoke as much as he could.
The billowing, black smoke disoriented them, but the sound of their screaming son was growing closer, and they used that to guide them.
After what seemed like an eternity, they reached Gene's bedroom, and Linda flung open the door.
Gene was curled up in the corner, looking terrified
"Mommy!" he cried, and Linda ran over to him, and picked him up. Running back to Bob, she buried Gene's face into her clothes, as they slowly made their way back down the hallway. Linda stroked Gene's hair soothingly, silently begging him to keep still and not squirm. Gene was clutching her in an iron grip.
She was so focused on walking in a straight line, not falling, and seeing through her watery eyes, that she didn't see Bob stop. Holding Gene tighter, she looked to the side, and saw him open a door.
Against her better judgement, she turned and looked behind her. The smoke was even thicker; the flames were now touching the ceiling, crackling loudly.
"Lin!" Bob's gasp, brought her back to reality. "I can't find Louise!" Her head snapped round to look at him. "Listen to me," he touched her face, his eyes narrowed and watering. "I need you to take Gene, go get Tina, and get out. I need to get Louise!"
"Bobby, no!" She coughed and choked loudly, doubling over, still holding Gene. "I won't leave you!"
"We'll be fine!" Bob pushed his wife towards Tina's room, and before she could do anything, he entered Louise's room.
For a moment, Linda froze, unable to believe what was happening. She knew he was right; the longer they remained there, the greater the danger. She was holding one of her children, and one of the others was in her room. She could put them outside, and then come back and help Bob.
So, doing the hardest thing she'd ever had to do in her life, she went towards Tina's room.
She found Tina standing in the corner, stock still, eyes wide, hyperventilating. Reaching out her arm, Linda moved forward, finding it a little bit easier to breathe.
Tina darted towards her mother, wrapping her arms around her waist. That, combined with Gene hanging from her neck, made it extremely difficult for Linda to move, but she managed it. She would, for her babies.
Bob had searched Louise's little room, and he couldn't find her anywhere, so that meant she was somewhere else in the apartment.
Taking a deep breath, Bob left the room, blindly looking left and right. "Louise!" he choked, feeling in front of him.
To his immense relief, he found her in the hall, next to the stairs. He didn't know how he had missed her before. She was staring up at the crackling wall of flames, eyes wide, too afraid to move. "Louise!" he called again, and she turned to face him, coughing.
Bob reached out to grab her, just as a spitting flame ball shot out and landed on the back of her head, sparks trailing down after it.
Louise screamed, tears streaming down her face, her hands waving frantically. Grabbing her, Bob threw his shirt over her head, trying to smother the flames. Louise fell to the ground, and he dropped to his knees, holding his breath, furiously patting her head.
He didn't know how long it took, but the flames died out, and he scooped her up, and stumbled down the hall, eyes streaming, managing to find his way over to the fire escape.
Sticking his head out of the window, the clean, fresh air hit him like a slap in the face. Blinking the tears away, he saw Linda, Gene and Tina standing huddled in the alley, looking terrified. Bob shook his head slightly, realising there were firemen running up to their home.
Louise was still screaming, and Bob held her tight in one arm as he climbed down the fire escape, and Linda came running up to them.
"Oh, my God! Louise, my baby!" She tried to take her, but Louise had her hands clenched tightly on Bob's shoulder.
Bob gripped Linda's hand, gulping in the air, her hand the only thing seeming real at that moment. He felt a little dizzy, and he became aware of someone other than his wife trying to take Louise from his arms, and he subconsciously held her tighter.
"Sir, you all need to get to the hospital right away," came a voice to his right.
"Hospital?" he repeated, confused.
He didn't remember the ambulance ride, nor being treated for smoke inhalation. The only things he knew were that, Linda was sat next to him; and as soon as they had arrived, his children had been taken somewhere. A doctor had been talking to them about Louise, and they heard words like "surgery", "second and third degree burns", and "potential scarring", but everything was fuzzy.
He managed to keep his wits about him long enough to hear that Gene and Tina were okay, but they were still treating Louise, before exhaustion took over and he fell asleep.
He was awoken a mere few hours later, when they were told that they could see Louise, and they made their way to the paediatric ward.
There she was, curled up on her side, asleep. Her head was bandaged.
Bob wasn't sure what time it was. All he knew was that it was daylight, and he'd somehow managed to fall asleep on the uncomfortable, plastic chairs in the waiting room.
Sitting up, he stretched and looked around. Linda wasn't there, nor were Gene and Tina. He was just about to search for them, when they entered the hospital, Gene clinging tightly to his mother's hand.
"Morning, Bobby," said Linda quietly.
"Morning. When did you leave?"
"About an hour ago; Teddy watched the kids, while I went to see.. what it looks like."
"What does it look like?" Bob asked, ignoring Teddy, who had burst through the double doors, and ran up to them, panting.
"It's..." Linda hesitated. "It looks worse than it is. We're gonna have to shut down for a couple of weeks, and the firemen said something about rebuilding the stairs, so we're gonna have to find somewhere to stay."
"I already said you guys can stay with me," said Teddy.
"Thanks, Teddy. How did you get in, if the stairs are bust?"
"I climbed up the fire escape," Linda told him. "The stairs aren't bust; they just won't take too much weight. The kitchen, Tina's room, and Louise's room are okay; just some smoke damage. Our room's.. okay, but they'll need to re-plaster the wall; I think that's what they said." Linda ran a hand through her hair. "But the living-room and hallway are a wreck; I couldn't even get to Gene's room. But I managed to get us some stuff." She held up a black sack. "I got clothes, and shoes; I got our photo albums, and Tina's horsey doll, and Gene's keyboard.."
"How did you get Gene's keyboard?" Bob asked.
"He left it in the bathroom. Oh, and I got General Woundwort," she opened the bag, and pointed to Louise's giant plush rabbit. Bob smiled a little when he saw the toy. Louise had seen it in a charity shop, and would not leave until they bought it for her. It was rather cheap as it was missing an eye, and so Louise had named it General Woundwort, from her favourite film, "Watership Down."
"Mommy, can we see Louise?" asked Tina, blinking up at Linda.
"We'll ask the doctor when he comes out," she assured her daughter.
"Oh, yeah. How is she?" asked Teddy.
"I don't know," said Bob honestly. "I know she slept all night; the nurses told me they gave her pain relief. I don't know if she's woken up yet."
"Did they say how the fire started?" asked Linda, picking Gene up, and caressing Tina's head with her free hand.
"Uh, they said it was the stove; apparently, it hadn't cooled down properly, and the flames went up into the vents. But I don't understand that; I cleaned it the same way I always do."
"It's alright, Bobby; it was just an accident." Linda didn't blame him; how could she? It wasn't like it was anyone's fault. Okay, it was scary, but they were alive.
Not long after, they were approached by a doctor.
"Mr and Mrs. Belcher, hi. I'm Owen Quinn; I'm one of the doctors supervising your daughter."
"How is she; can we see her?"
"She's still asleep, but yes, you can see her. Come with me." The doctor led them through the waiting room, and down a few halls before they reached the paediatric ward.
They gathered around Louise's bed. Although her head was still bandaged, she looked comfortable. She was lying on a doughnut-shaped pillow, to avoid pressure on the wounds.
"Her – her ears," Linda covered her hand with her mouth. Louise's ears seemed to have caught some of the flames, and the tops were puffy and shiny.
"Louise has third-degree burns on the back of her head, and second-degree burns on her ears," the doctor explained quietly. "At this moment, we're not sure if the hair follicles are affected; we'll need to wait a few days. If the follicles are damaged, then the hair won't grow back."
"Has she – lost any hair?" asked Bob.
"There is a sizeable patch missing from the back of her head."
"It'll be like that forever?"
"We hope not, but if the hair doesn't grow back, then there are things we can do to help." Linda was about to ask what they would do, when movement from the bed distracted her.
"Louise, baby!" She bent down, taking her drowsy daughter's hand. "Are you okay?"
"Mommy?" Louise rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital, sweetie, but you're okay. It's gonna be okay."
"'Hopsital?'" Louise looked around, her hand reaching up to her head. "What's this?"
"It's gonna make you better." Linda produced Louise's favourite toy rabbit, and the little girl took it. While her siblings talked to her, Bob moved away to talk to the doctor.
"Is she gonna be okay?" he asked.
"We expect her to make a full recovery." Bob nodded as Linda came up next to him. "We'll need to keep her under observation for a few days, to make sure there is no infection. Regarding her ears; it's possible she will need reconstructive surgery, as she does have some burns to the helix, which might cause some problems later."
"Right. Okay." They went back over to Louise. "Hey, honey," Bob smiled at her, sitting down.
"Daddy, I don't being in this hospital; it smells funny." Bob chuckled.
"You can come home soon, okay? Louise – do you remember what happened?"
"There was a fire," she said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, that's right. And.. you got burned, do you remember that?"
"Yeah," a frown crossed her face, and she reached up to feel the bandages.
"Well," Bob paused. "The fire burned a little bit of your hair off, and your ears are a little bit burned, as well." Her eyes wide, Louise reached up again, frantically feeling the back of her head. She winced as she touched the tops of her ears.
"Will it grow back?"
"I don't know," he said honestly.
"I don't wanna be bald!" she cried. "I'm not old! Fix it!"
"We will," Bob assured her. "We'll find a way."
"Fix it! Fix it, now!"
"We're gonna fix it, baby," said Linda. "The doctors are gonna make you all better." But Louise did not look assured.
"I want it done now!"
"We've spoken to the doctor," Linda went to stroke her daughter's forehead, but Louise batted her hand away. "They said they need to wait a few days."
"What for?"
"Just to make sure everything heals up." Louise didn't look too impressed with this, and clamped her arms around her toy rabbit, pouting.
A few days later, Doctor Quinn gave Bob and Linda the news they were dreading.
"So, first of all, the good news is Louise can go home tonight. But I'm afraid the hair follicles have been permanently damaged, and there's no chance of the hair growing back," he told them.
"Okay. So, what can we do?" Bob glanced over at his daughter, head still bandaged, chattering to her siblings.
"Well, ordinarily we would offer wigs or hairpieces, but she's quite young, so it may not be the best option. Synthetic wigs tend to wear out quite quickly, and it might cause irritation on her skin. However, we could insert some tissue expanders under her skin; it's quite common in these types of injuries."
"What would that do?"
"It's a little balloon made of silicon, and we'd insert it under her scalp and every week we'd inject it with saline to make it swell. It stretches the skin, and basically creates excess skin. At the end of the treatment, we would remove the balloon, and stitch the flap shut, and it would completely cover the patch."
"Ooh, I don't know." It sounded very complicated and painful to Linda.
"Well, if it'll cover the scars and everything. Otherwise, what can we do?" reasoned Bob.
"It's your decision; feel free to talk about it first. I know it can be hard," the doctor walked away, and Bob and Linda turned to each other.
"Should we do it?" he asked, genuinely unsure.
"Oh, I don't know; she's so young... I don't know if I wanna put her through that."
"What's the alternative? Her going through life with a bald patch?"
"You're right. Maybe we could try a wig?"
"Will she wear one, though?" That was the problem; Louise was extremely stubborn, especially about what she wore. She insisted on choosing her own clothes every day.
"She likes hats; can't she just wear a hat?"
"But she'll still have the – the bald spot. I think Louise would probably want to cover it properly."
"Let's ask her." Bob nodded once again, and the two of them approached their daughter. "Hey, Louise." Louise stopped making General Woundwort attack Tina and looked up. "We've been talking to the doctor, and he has an idea for you."
"What is it?"
"Well, he thinks the best thing would be a surgery, and it would cover the bare patch on your head."
"I want that," said Louise immediately. "And I wanna come home; when can I go home?"
"You can go home tonight," Bob told her, and she nodded, clapping her hands. "But about this surgery; are you sure about it? You don't have to if you don't want to."
"I want it! I don't wanna wear this forever!" Louise gestured to the bandages, frowning. "I don't like them. I want hair." Bob and Linda looked at one another.
"Okay, if that's what you want, sweetie," said Linda, and Louise nodded again. Dr. Quinn came over to them.
"So, if it's all okay with you, we can book her in for next week. Again, because of her age, we could do the reconstructive surgery on her ears at the same time?"
"Well, if that would make it easier..." Bob trailed off.
"Okay," Linda repeated, before turning back to Louise. "How does next week sound, baby?"
"Today. I want it today," Louise clutched General Woundwort. "I don't like being bald."
"We can't do it any sooner than next week," said Dr. Quinn. "As soon as we're ready, we'll bring you back for it."
"Good!"
A few days later, Louise was happily settled at home. Well, Teddy's house, where they had been staying. Not that Bob wasn't grateful, but he hoped their apartment would be ready very soon.
Louise still refused to go back to kindergarten, not until after the surgery. As Bob and Linda knew that any attempt at coercion would end badly, they had simply called the school, saying the truth: "Louise is going to have surgery, and she'll be off while she recovers." The teachers had been fine, and, to Bob and Linda's relief, both Louise's teacher, and the principal, had not questioned the six week recovery time.
Linda was still unsure about Louise having the operation; she was so little, and what if it went wrong? But it was what Louise wanted, and if it worked, then that could only be a good thing. She knew it was affecting the four-year-old, for Louise stayed in the little room set aside for the kids, only coming out for mealtimes, always with something covering her head. Nobody minded, of course, and they gave her the space she needed.
Linda walked down the hall to the bedroom, pushing the ajar door open. She saw Louise standing in front of the little mirror on the dresser, brushing her hair.
More careful than she usually would be, Louise brushed and brushed, before picking up a small hand mirror, holding it to the back of her head.
Peeping in through the crack in the door, Linda saw Louise's face fall when the bald spot, which covered most of the back of her head, showed through the hair. She watched, feeling terrible, as Louise began to cry quietly, the little girl covering her face with her hands. It took everything Linda had not to run in and sweep her baby up in her arms, and comfort her. Louise had been a little bit.. sensitive lately. Very snappy, and quite rude, but Bob and Linda couldn't bring themselves to say anything to her.
"What are you doing?" Louise whirled around as she caught sight of Linda in the mirror. She hurriedly wiped her face, and set her jaw.
"I was just -"
"Get out! Get out!" Louise brandished the hairbrush wildly.
"I'm sorry, sweetie," Linda backed away, and went back into the living-room.
Gene and Tina were at school, and Bob and Teddy were at the restaurant, trying to see what could be salvaged, and what needed to be scrapped. Linda, naturally, was eager to help, but she couldn't leave Louise by herself.
She hated to see her baby like this. Louise, usually so loud and full of energy, now did nothing but hide away, keep her head down. Linda hadn't seen her smile since the fire, and she'd stopped playing with her siblings. Linda hoped with all her heart that this surgery would work, and it would make Louise happy again. She still felt unsure about it, but if it helped Louise, then that could only be a good thing.
After a while, Louise slowly emerged from the bedroom, her pink beanie pulled down low over her head, a slightly pained expression on her face. Her cheeks were still slightly red. "What's wrong?" Linda dropped to her knees.
"It's itchy," Louise complained, wincing as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Well, if it's itchy, it might be better for you to take the hat off," said Linda gently, but Louise shook her head
"No!"
"You can't scratch it; it'll irritate your skin."
"But it's itchy!" she whined. "And my hair feels weird against it; I don't like it."
"Well, I can fix that," Linda beckoned Louise to the sofa. When the little girl had sat down, Linda pulled some hair ties out of her bag, and she removed the hat, and quickly tied Louise's hair into pigtails. The bald spot was exposed, but at least, hopefully, it wouldn't irritate her. "Is that better?" she asked.
Louise wobbled her head slightly, before nodding. "Much better!" she hopped down from the sofa, and disappeared back into the bedroom.
A week later, Bob and Linda drove a squirming Louise back to the hospital. Gene and Tina were at school, and so both parents wanted to be there with their youngest.
"How long will it take?" Louise piped up from the back seat.
"I think about a few hours," Linda told her.
"Good; I can't wait for it to be over. I'm hungry; when can I eat?"
"We'll get you something after the surgery," Bob said, keeping his eyes on the road.
Once inside the hospital, Bob and Linda sat with Dr. Quinn, while Louise played nearby.
"So, we'll be ready to take Louise into the operating room soon. The surgery will take one to two hours, and we'll keep her in overnight, for observation. Afterwards, we'll wait for two weeks, to give the wound time to heal, and then we'll bring her back once every two weeks for the saline injections." He explained.
"How many injections will she need?" asked Bob.
"It takes around six, so it will be twelve weeks. With each injection, the balloon will grow a little bit."
"Okay. Will it hurt?" Linda looked over at Louise, who was happily playing with the toys on the floor, making General Woundwort attack the building block city she'd built.
"There will more than likely be some discomfort, some tightness, but it will only last a few days, and it can be managed with over-the-counter children's medicine."
Soon enough, the time for surgery arrived, and Bob and Linda accompanied Louise to the operating room.
"Wait, I want the General!" Louise insisted, sitting up on the gurney. "I want my toy!"
"We can't have it in here," Dr. Quinn tried to explain.
"Bring it here!"
"Louise," said a nurse, "your rabbit got a little bit burned, as well, so the vet is going to fix him up."
"Where is he?"
"He's with the vet in the next room; his surgery's already started."
"Oh. Will it take long?"
"Not too long, honey, and he'll be with you when you wake up."
"You promise?" Louise turned to her parents, who nodded.
"I promise," Bob told her.
"Right, now Louise, just lie back," said Dr. Quinn, and Louise did so, eyes wide, but more curious than anything else. "Good. Right, you're gonna feel something sticky on your chest, but it's fine, okay?"
Bob and Linda stood close by, watching. Bob was holding his wife's hand, knowing that if he didn't, she would be standing right next to their child. Louise looked over at them, and they smiled at her reassuringly. "Louise, how high can you count?" Quinn asked, drawing her attention back to him.
"Up to twenty!" she revealed. Okay, not exactly; she missed a few here and there, but she was very close, so it counted.
"Twenty? That's fantastic!" he gasped. "It would be a big help if you could do that for us? Can you count to twenty?"
"Okay. One, two, three, four – what's that?" she eyed the oxygen mask being held up to her face.
"It will help us do the surgery. Can you count for us, please?"
"Oh." If it was for the magic surgery, then Louise would endure it, and she started counting again. "One, two, three..." this time, she did not protest as the mask was placed over her face.
Bob and Linda had to leave then, and returned to the waiting room. They sat silently, holding hands tightly.
"She'll be fine." said Bob. "Three months, and then it's over."
"I'm still so worried, Bobby; none of our kids have ever needed surgery before."
"It's amazing, really; considering our other kids are.. Gene and Tina," Bob pointed out. "We're lucky that this is the first surgery, and it was because of an accident."
"Huh, I guess that's true. I am surprised this is the first time, as well. But, still..."
"Nothing's going to go wrong, Lin," he assured her, but she got up and started pacing.
"She's only four! She's just a baby! Bobby, what if something goes wrong? What if -"
"Linda, it's okay," Bob rose, and took her hand. "Look, why don't you go out? Go out and get some fresh air, maybe take a walk?"
"I don't want to, Bobby!"
"Okay, I'll tell you what. Louise has to stay here tonight, right? Why don't you get her something? Like maybe a new toy, or a book? Something to keep her distracted?" Linda stopped pacing, and looked thoughtful.
"You know, that's not a bad idea. All right, I'll go out and get her a little gift." Linda grabbed her bag, and gave Bob a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back soon!" she called.
As soon as she had left, Bob sighed. He was just as worried as she was; their baby was having surgery. It was frightening, of course it was. But he was sure that she would be fine; Louise was a tough cookie, she would get through this.
Linda returned little over an hour later, clutching a large bag.
"Is she done yet?" She panted, sitting down beside him.
"Not yet; the doctor came a while ago, and said it wouldn't be long. What did you get?"
"Well, I was looking at the toys, and I was gonna get her one, but then I thought about what you said, about keeping her distracted, so I got her some books."
"Oh, r-really?" said Bob, as Linda reached into the bag. "What kind?" he hedged. Louise wasn't too fond of books; she used to enjoy the touch-and-feel books, and the interactive ones with sound effects. She just disliked being read to.
"I went down to "Bookin' Good," and I found a little section full of Japanese childrens' books."
"Oh, really?" Bob repeated, a little more interested now. Perhaps this would encourage Louise to read more.
"Yeah, and I saw this," Linda held up a book entitled 'Kuchi Kopi's Long Journey Home.' On the cover was a funny-looking little green creature, standing in the middle of a forest. "Cute, isn't he?"
"Uh, yeah. The book looks quite thick, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, I thought it'll give her something to do."
"What even is that little guy?"
"I don't know; some kinda Weeble or something. Do you think she'll like it?"
"She might," said Bob truthfully. "We can try."
Shortly after Linda returned, the doctor approached them.
"I'm pleased to say the surgery went well," said Quinn. "She's back on the ward, and you can see her now."
"She's alright?" asked Linda, as they followed him to the paediatric ward.
"She's sleeping fine; we won't know for sure until she wakes up."
This time, a large patch of dressing was placed over the majority of Louise's head, and she was again resting on the doughnut-shaped pillow. She looked comfortable enough, which greatly relieved the parents. General Woundwort was tucked in the crook of her arm, and the toy's head was bandaged, too. There were a few stitches on the tops of her ears.
"Her vitals are fine, and she can go home tomorrow," came Quinn's voice from behind them. "We removed the excess skin from her ears; the parts that looked like giant blisters. She'll be left with a few scars behind her ears, and they will look a bit smaller, but it likely won't be noticeable."
"Okay."
"And, as I mentioned earlier, we'll give her a couple of weeks, before we bring her back. It's a standard procedure."
"Are there any risks?" asked Linda, looking up at the doctor.
"There are complications associated with this procedure, as there are with any kind of surgery," he began. "In this case, minor complications include haematomas, seromas, both of which can easily be treated."
"What are those?" asked Bob.
"A haematoma is where bleeding outside of blood vessels occur, and a seroma is when fluid builds up under the skin. There is the risk of infection, which would mean we'd have to remove the expander, wait for the infection to heal, and then re-do the surgery. There's also the risk of the silicone expander leaking. If that happened, we'd have to replace it. She may find the appearance of the balloon upsetting, as well."
"Okay," Bob nodded. "I'm sure we can help her with that." He looked down at his sleeping child.
"Am I still bald?" were the first words out of Louise's mouth when she awoke a few hours later.
"Uhh... yes. Just for a little while, sweetie," said Linda, bending down next to her.
"But – you said the surgery would fix me," her face screwed up in confusion.
"It will fix you," Linda assured her. "They need to wait a few weeks; that's how long it'll take for it to work."
"I don't wanna wait," Louise pouted.
"Well, I think you're gonna have to," said Linda gently. "Just think, it'll all be over soon. Just think about that. No matter what, soon enough, you'll have all your hair back, but you have to be patient. Can you be patient for us, baby?"
"I guess so," Louise struggled to sit up, looking around her. "Oh, the General's back!" she picked up her toy. "His surgery was quick," she observed, patting its bandaged head.
"He's going to be fine; just like you," said Linda.
"When can I go home?" asked Louise.
"The doctor said tomorrow," said Bob, but Louise didn't look very happy.
"I wanna go today! Why?"
"They just need make sure you're okay, and that you're rested."
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Well, you could -" but Bob was interrupted.
"What's in that bag?" Louise spied the carrier bag in Linda's hand. "Is it something for me?"
"Yes; I went out to get you something for being so brave, and I found a book I think you'll like."
"A book?" Louise's nose crinkled in disgust. "No toy?"
"I think you'll like this one," Linda reached into the bag. "It's from Japan." She saw Louise brighten slightly.
"Japan?" Then her face fell. "You won't be able to read it. They don't use letters; just funny, squiggly lines."
"No, no; it's in English," Linda produced the book, and Louise glanced at it.
"What is that thing?" she pointed at Kuchi Kopi.
"I don't know; let's find out, shall we?" Louise nodded, and Linda sat down, and opened the book.
A few days later, Bob and Teddy were at the restaurant, in the dining room.
"It doesn't look.. too bad," said Bob, looking around.
"No, not at all," Teddy agreed. The dining room was perhaps the least damaged, the walls only slightly blackened from the smoke. Nothing needed to be replaced, so they could be grateful for that. It was the kitchen that was the problem.
The machines were badly damaged; the grill was burnt beyond repair. Bob let out a little whimper as he mourned his beautiful grill, that had seen him through almost thirty years of service, gone in an instant.
"Well, all we'll need here is a fresh coat of paint," he gestured around the seating area. "And the cash register and coffee machine are all fine."
"I can find you another grill, and I know someone who's selling a dishwasher," said Teddy.
"Okay, great. Well, I guess the most important thing is making sure the kids can go back in their rooms. So, we definitely need to re-floorboard the upstairs hallway."
"I can do that for you."
"Thanks," Bob nodded. "Well, the repairmen are going to fix the stairs, and the living-room. So, once that's done, and they've finished with our bedroom, we can move right back in. It should only be a couple of weeks, maybe a month."
"What about the restaurant?"
"Well, we'll have to.. stay closed for a few more weeks, just until they're all finished, and then we can try and get some business back."
"But what are you gonna do until then? If you don't have the money, you can keep on staying with me."
"Thanks, Teddy. Lin's doing those online jobs," said Bob, and Teddy looked a little confused.
"Oh, yeah. What's she doing again?"
"She's doing a bunch of stuff, and so am I, just as a way to make some money. She's, like, people send her stuff, and she types it up, and sends it back to them. She's also doing, like, some kinda online customer service thing. I'm doing one of those, transcribing things, as well. It's not.. too bad. I mean, it's boring as hell, but it pays," Bob shrugged.
"Yeah, that makes sense. Right well, anything I can find for the restaurant, I'll get hold of it and bring it here, and I'll help with the repairs as much as I can. Friend discount, you know?"
"Thanks, Teddy."
~ X ~
Done. What did you think? I do enjoy putting Louise in hospital, don't I?
I've always been partial to the restaurant fire theory, and that Louise got burned. Maybe it's the drama queen inside me.
What about you? Why do you think Louise wears her ears?