Chapter 3
When I woke up the second nurse was sitting next to my bed sewing Petite dragon's head back onto his body. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor and the slight hum from the second nurse while she was working was enough to sooth me back to sleep. When I woke up, no one was with me but my petite dragon was lying next to me with a bandage around his neck. I slowly sat up only to notice that I was still hooked up to a heart monitor. On top of that I could hear that someone was making a fuss out in the hallway. I pushed the blanket off of me before using the IV stand as a cane so I could see what was going on. What I found was upsetting at most; it was the first nurse tearing up the other kids' toys, while they were watching. It was like she didn't even care if this was upsetting the kids. I was about to say something when the second nurse came into the room a doctor right behind her.
"Ms. Sora that is enough, if you keep this up than I will have to report you." The doctor said pulling the woman's hands away from the head of a stuff bear that a teenage boy a couple of years older than me was trying to get back, but a couple of orderlies were holding him back. I could see that the first nurse was going to say that it had been the teenager that had torn up everyone's toys but I slammed the sliding door open surprising everyone in the main room the doctor, nurses and orderlies all stopped what they were doing to look at me.
"Fuyuko are you alright…no you should be in bed." The second nurse said trying to get me to head back to my bed, but I just brushed her off. I wasn't going to let the first nurse make someone else out as the villain.
"I heard a commotion so I got up, to see what was going on…I saw that Nurse Sora was tearing up…everyone's toys." I said struggling to get the words out, but by the end I was sitting on the floor because my legs had given out from under me, and my head would have met the floor if the doctor hadn't caught me.
"Doctor you can't trust Ms. Fujiki…she has been to three other mental health facilities. Plus she tore out her IV just so she wouldn't have to go to a foster home." The first nurse said pointing at me. I was confused at first but soon a security guard entered with a tablet in hand.
"I'll get to the bottom of this right now. Ms. Fujiki…no Fuyuko why don't you go with Naomi and get some rest. And next time you want to get out of bed please use the call button and we will help up. Naomi 20ccs should work." The doctor said lifting me off the floor before putting me on a wheel chair that a third orderly brought over to us. The second nurse and the third orderly took me back into the room I had come from. Together they put me back in my bed with Petite dragon tucked under my arm.
"Are you alright Fuyuko, nothing hurts right?" The second nurse asked checking me over. She only stopped when the first nurse entered the room, who was carrying a tray of food. The first nurse looked smug as she put the tray on the table in front of me, clearly trying to hide the fact that she had gotten the upper hand on me.
"Now Ms. Fujiki make sure that you eat all of it. This was prepared just for you." The first nurse said before lifting the lid covering the food. What I saw sent me off the deep end. On the tray was a ham and cheese sandwich and a juice box. I quickly throw the tray at the woman's feet the whole time screaming. The orderly had to hold me down so that I wouldn't pull out my IV or rip off the sensors connected to my chest and stomach. The doctor along with the security guard from before came running into the room surprised.
"I don't know what happened, all I did was bring her something to eat. Then she started to freak out." The first nurse said trying to sound innocent, but by now I had calmed down, to the point that I could speak in semi sentences.
"You brought me a ham and cheese sandwich…I can't eat those…I feel like I am chocking." I said as clear as I could, while the second nurse was petting my hair out of my face. The doctor look between me and the first nurse before leaving the room, but he soon returned a file tucked under his arm.
"Okay let's see here…Fuyuko Fujiki at the age of six, nine, 12 and now 14 has been placed in four different mental facilities. The first time was after she tried to attempted suicide…at that time the doctors found out she couldn't eat things like ham or cheese because the third foster family would shove food down her throat to the point that she would choke and quite breathing…I'm sure that I put an order in so that Ms. Fujiki wouldn't get anything like that. She is to be getting soup, fruit and veggies." The doctor said having read over the first time that I have been placed in a facility. I was trying to fight my eyes closing as the second nurse was still petting my hair out of my face. It took me three tries before I finally pushed the second nurse's hand away from my head. I didn't want her to find out that I had a fever. I knew what they did to the kids that got sick while in these facilities, most were sent to the isolation rooms for weeks on end, and even after they got better they were still left in the isolation rooms. I could feel the tickle in the back on my throat but before I could hide it, the need to cough over powered me and sent my thin frame into a overwhelming fit.
"Ms. Fujiki are you okay?" The doctor asked after I had finished coughing. I was leaned back on the paper thin pillows trying to catch my breathing when second nurse handed me a glass of water.
"Remember to keep drinking Fuyuko. I just have to talk with the doctor for a second out in the hallway, but I will be right back so that you have someone to talk with." The second nurse said putting the glass in my hand before lifting the head of the bed. She had me at a 45 degree angle so that I would get the most oxygen. I laid there eyes partly closed, watching as the two grown ups left me alone in the room for no more than five to ten minutes. But when they came back the second nurse had several things with her.
"Okay Fuyuko, I'm just going to get some blood really quick so we can run some test." The second nurse said moving to sit next to me on the bed with a needle and vile in her hands. I looked between her and the doctor, who frankly looked like he was concerned. I held out my left hand so that she could do what she needed before looking over at my stuff dragon on the night stand. The orderly had moved it earlier so that I wouldn't lay on him. If they moved me into isolation would I actually get to keep him or would petite go to another kid, I've seen that happen before too, one little boy that I know when I was nine was sent to isolation and his favorite toy was given to this kid after two weeks of no one seeing him, I later found out that he had been moved to a long term facility.
"Okay I will send this off to the labs, Dr. Fujimata if you could watch Fuyuko for a few minutes." The second nurse said, stepping out of the room, while the Dr. sat in a chair next to the bed. We sat like that for a few minutes before the Dr. cleared his throat.
"We didn't get to formally meet each other. I am Doctor Sai Fujimata one of the doctors at this facility." The doctor said holding out his hand for me to shake. I looked him over from head to toe. He was a young tall man with neat brown hair and sharp grey eyes, he was wearing a plain blue button up and black slacks. He looked handsome but he wasn't my type. The second nurse quickly entered the room a coloring book and color pencils in her hands.
"I'm Fuyuko Fujiki age:14" I said before looking at the heavy window covers. But the second nurse and the doctor seem to notice this as the second nurse threw open the covers letting in the sun, I was close to the ground level so I could look out the window and see everyone moving outside, kids playing under the watchful eye of the nurses, while older patients were walking on the paths around the outdoor area.
"Do you like watching people Fuyuko?" Doctor Fujimata asked moving the chair closer to the bed. I looked over at him before nodding my head slowly. My movements and train of thought were delayed, on top of that it was getting harder to keep my eyes open.
"You're not feeling good are you Fuyuko?" the second nurse asked petting my hair out of my face, I looked up at her confused until I feel into the darkness. When I woke up I was laying on the bed head raised while the second nurse worked quietly next to me, fixing all the toys that the first nurse had ripped. I couldn't hear the repetitive beeping of the heart monitor anymore but the room was quieter and much cooler than the one I was in before going to sleep. I slowly sat up rubbing my eyes with both of my hands, or that was before I felt a sharp pain in my left arm. When I looked down there was a tube coming out of my upper arm just above my elbow, and I would have pulled it out had the second nurse not stopped me.
"No Fuyuko you can't pull out the tube, that is how we are giving you the medicine you need." The second nurse said pulling my hands away from the tube. I looked at her scared and confused, but laid back down on the bed hands at my side waiting for her to explain everything to me.
"First thing how are you feeling Fuyuko, do you still have a fever?" the second nurse asked sitting backed in her chair. I looked at her confused what did my fever have to do with the tube coming out of my upper arm.
"I don't under stand." I said sitting up on the bed again, head tilted to one side. I reached for the glass of water on the bed side table so that I could wet my dry mouth. The second nurse looked at me for a second before putting her needle and thread down so that she could explain everything to me.
"Fuyuko, you came down with a high fever almost a week ago. The fever was the cause of an infection, from injuries on your back and stomach. During that week we spoke with your adoptive father and he gave us permission to put a catheter in so that your veins don't get over used. The catheter is called a peripherally inserted central catheter line, it always us to deliver the needed medication to your system with out causing you a lot of pain. Plus stick you with needles over and over was making it hard on your body." The second nurse explained taking my hand into hers, I was actually glad that this was the person that was by my side when I woke up instead of the first nurse because I'm sure that woman would have let me just rip the tube out of my arm. I sighed before laying back down rubbing my arm lightly, that was before the second nurse pulled my hand away from my elbow.
"You have to be careful Fuyuko, now let me give you some rules with the PICC line, we have to flush it every other day. You can't get it wet because it could possible lead to infection because the PICC line is connected to your heart. You can do somethings with your left arm but try not to exercise with your left arm because that can make PICC line move and you can't lift anything more than five pounds. Do you have any questions Fuyuko?" The second nurse said pulling a list off of the bedside table, before handing it to me so that I could read over it myself. I looked it over before handing it back to her, not really sure that if I read it right now I will under stand it properly right now because everything was muddled.
"Are you okay Fuyuko? Your file said that you loved any information about your condition that you could get your hands on." The second nurse asked leaning forward in her seat, I shook my head as the fever I felt the last time I was a wake get even worse. On top of that I felt like I was about to get sick. I didn't even get a chance to tell the second nurse that I was about to throw up before I leaned over the left side of the bed and emptied my stomach, which didn't have anything in it, but that didn't stop the urge or the pain that followed after wards. By the end I was hanging limply off the side of the bed, tired and moaning in pain as it was pretty hard for me to relax because I felt horrible.
"I'll get someone to come clean this up while I take you to get a bath. That might help bring down your fever a bit. Don't try to move around until your stomach settles Fuyuko." The second nurse said pushing the button above my bed, before she got up from her seat and left the room. By the time she came back I was still hanging limply off the side of my bed breathing heavily through my nose to stop myself from throwing up a second time.
"Oh Fuyuko here let me help you sit up, I brought a bucket incase you might need it later. Ms. Sora is going to clean up the mess, with one of the hospital's volunteers." The second nurse said helping me to sit up before pointing at the two women in the door way, I had to squint just to make them out, one was the first nurse while the other woman was a thin blonde woman with brown eyes, she was looking at me with pity. All I wanted to do at that moment was throw something at her because I didn't need her pity, for all we know this was the flu and like all the times before I was just more prone to the worst end of the stick.
"I can't believe I have to do this on my day off." The first nurse, Ms. Sora, said crossing her arms over her chest while the other woman went straight to woke on cleaning up the mess. The volunteer was about finished when I had to grab the bucket and throw up again. And I would have freaked out when someone put a hand on my back if I wasn't already occupied. When I was done getting sick the volunteer tried to hand me a glass of water, to help me settle my stomach but I just pushed it way as the thought just made me even sicker.
"You're going to be alright sweetheart, and I know you don't want to drink but you really need to stay hydrated." The volunteer said surprising the first and second nurses.
"Dr. Saito what are you doing here?" the first nurse asked surprised, I looked over at the woman confused because she did not look like a doctor if anything she was far too pretty to be dealing with all this disease and death.
"I always volunteer on my days off, I like working with the kids in both the hospital and mental facility…is there a problem with that?" The volunteer, I mean doctor next to me said still rubbing my back trying to calm me down. I lunched forward to throw up in the bucket again, the stomach acid was making my throat rough and raw. The doctor and second nurse were both at my side trying to help me feel better while the first nurse stood in the door frame looking proud about something. I had a sneaking suspicion that she was the reason I was getting sick like this. After getting sick for the third time I closed my eyes and leaned backed on the pillows, it was than that I notice the subtle scent coming from the glass of water, it smelled like Lantana. I quickly looked over at the first nurse now the look made sense, one problem with her plan I know all about poisonous plants and flowers. I looked at the second nurse before pointing at my throat trying to tell her I was thirst.
"Here Fuyuko you need to keep drinking…Fuyuko what's the matter?" The second nurse asked pushing the glass of water towards me, but I quickly smacked it way along with a pitcher from the bed side table, when that got knocked over the flower infused water was revealed to everyone.
"What is this?" the doctor turn volunteer asked moving to pick up the small cluster of flowers that had been in the pitcher of water. While she would have if I hadn't stopped her.
"You can't that's poisonous, you have to be careful, it can cause a rash of you touch it with your bare hands. Lantana is even deadly if ingested but luckily for me the poison was weaker due to it being infused with water. If you don't believe me you can check with the department of poison control. Also make sure that you check Ms. Sora for any rashes on her hands and arms." I said before lean forward to get sick all over again