Previously I do not own Molly of Denali, or any of the characters contained within this story. Molly of Denali is the property of Kathy Waugh and Dorothea Gillim.
I look forward to the reviews and criticisms (I know there will be some). I hope you enjoy the story, and just like the cartoon on PBS Kids, I am trying to stay true to the characters as shown each and every day. I am also including real elements like they've done on the show (racism, environmental, life, and death, etc..). I hope you like this when I start to repost the chapters.
Please review all of my stories. Feedback would give me ideas I can use for not only this story but for future ones. Thank you for your time and happy reading.
My story takes place in 2021 when Molly is twelve, Tooey is twelve and Trini is nine.
Keeping the House / Stronger Friendships and Feelings
Molly woke up and looked around the room, "I wonder what time it is?" She reached around the nightstand for her computer. Not feeling it, she uncovered her head and looked at the nightstand.
Not seeing the computer, she turned and looked around the room. She shrugged her shoulders when she noticed that the computer was on her table when she does her VLOGs. She kicked off the covers, moved her legs to the side and put on her Suki slippers before heading for the table.
Opening the computer, she saw that it was 7:30 a.m., she looked at the window and saw that it was still dark. "I know winters' in Alaska stay dark, but a little light would be nice." She thought as she walked over to the dresser and pulled out some clothes to put on. As she was taking off her pajamas, she remembered that she had to take care of Trini's chickens and little puppy.
She smiled thinking about Four spots, Trini and Tooey. She thought of them for different reasons. She put on her pants and smiled. "I am glad I was able to name Four-Spots, in the end Trini came up with a better name." When it came to Tooey she was hoping he was doing okay and was dealing well with the wheelchair. "Now Trini, she had a major surgery yesterday, and it was thanks to me she needed it." She continued thinking as she tied her sneakers.
An hour later she had finished taking care of the chickens. She cleaned their nesting boxes and fed and walked Four-spots.
Because of all of the snow drifts, and the driving wind, those walks were fairly brief. "There, done. Now to go check and see how Tooey is handling being in the wheelchair." She thought to herself as she closed the door to the Mumford residence and walked towards the Ookami house through the thick snow.
* Ookami Residence Ten Minutes Later *
Sitting in the wheelchair, Tooey reached forward and turned on the hot water for the tub. He noticed that he couldn't reach the cold-water tap. Looking down at his legs, he sighed quietly. All he saw was the sleeves that were wrapped around his legs preventing him from using them.
He reached forward again, and again received pain as he stretched his legs. "nnnngggghhh" escaped his throat as he reached the end of his strength. "I've only had them on for nearly a day a day and I am really beginning to hate them." Thinking some more, "Mom was right, it's a good thing she took them off when I went to bed. They felt like balloons when I first tried to sleep with them on." Coming back to his current issue, he realized that he needed help.
"Mom, I need some help!" Tooey yelled out as he slumped back. "Yes Teekkone, what can I do to help you?" Atsaq asked as she entered the bathroom.
Entering she noticed the room was filling with steam. She looked from the tub to Tooey. His head was down and his was sitting in the chair with slumped shoulders. Putting two and two together she reached forward and turned on the cold water. She felt the water and when it was a good temperature, she turned towards her dejected son. "If you need anything else, just give me a call again." She told him kissing him on the forehead.
She left the bathroom and started walking to the stairs. "Thanks mom." She heard as she started descended the stairs. He reached down and began unlatching the bands that secured the braces around his legs. He tried to move the sleeve of his left leg down. A very sharp pain radiated from his thighs down to his toes. He held back the tears as the pain reached a peak before he slumped back down, allowing the pain to subside.
"Mom." He quietly called out. Not hearing a response. He was about to call again when he heard the doorbell. A few moments later Molly and his mother walked into the bathroom. "Hey Tooey," Molly called when she saw him sitting in the chair.
"Hey Molly," he said in a dejected tone. Atsaq heard the tone, and noticed the straps were loosened from his left leg. "Need help removing the braces, Tooey?" She asked.
"Yes Mom, they are a little hard to remove when reaching forward. It causes quite a bit of pain." Tooey explained looking down at his legs.
"Okay, I can show you a short cut for removing them that might make this a little easier for you. Would that help?" Atsaq asked kneeling in front of his legs. "Yes please." Tooey mentioned watching her. "Is there any way I can help?" Molly asked.
"Let me show him how to do one leg and then you can help him with the other leg. Is that okay Little Wolf?" Tooey nodded as he braced himself for more pain.
Kneeling in front of the wheelchair, Atsaq reached up and began to roll the neoprene leg sleeve down until it reached down to just below the knee. She then reached down and pulled from the bottom of his leg and removed the sleeve with just a little bit of tugging. As she was removing the brace Molly observed every move Atsaq was taking.
Atsaq inclined her head and Molly taking the hint came to the front of the chair, then reached forward and began by unlatching the Velcro holding the sleeve tight against his leg. She then rolled the other sleeve until it reached Tooey's knee as well. She placed her hand on his thigh and reached down and pulled the sleeve from his leg just like Atsaq had done with his left leg. Before pulling the sleeve, she looked up and made eye contact, Tooey was watching her, and he was blushing.
A moment later, after a little tugging, she showed them both that she had removed the sleeve safely. That was when she noticed that Tooey had stiffened.
Frowning, "Did I do something wrong. I followed your instructions exactly Atsaq. I have no-" She began
"Molly, you have nothing to worry about, I was watching the whole time. Tooey is just embarrassed and in a little pain."
"Why?" she quickly asked, placing the sleeve on the edge of the tub.
Atsaq smiled before explaining, "In reference to the pain, you placed your hand on top of his thigh to pull the sleeve downward. That is close to where the fractures in his legs are." Atsaq paused, looking from Tooey back to Molly. "His embarrassment is because he is currently in his underwear."
Molly blushed, she quickly looked down and then looked up at him. "I am sorry Tooey, I was just trying to help. I meant nothing by it." She stammered, removing her hand, and quickly standing back up.
Before Tooey could say anything, Molly stepped back, she immediately started flailing her arms before falling into the tub of thankfully warm water. Splashing both Atsaq and Tooey.
Atsaq and Tooey both had their mouths agape when she fell into the bathtub and were now completely soaked to the skin. Molly had a shocked expression on her face as she stood up in the water. She was still in her sneakers and her clothes clung to her as they were dripping.
Recovering first, Atsaq reached up for a towel and held it in her hands. Molly just stood there not sure what to say or do. Atsaq shook her head and tapped Tooey on the shoulder. Turning towards her, "Did you want company for your bath, or should we give Molly this one, and you can take one afterwards?"
Looking from Tooey to Molly, she couldn't tell who was more embarrassed. A second later they all laughed as Atsaq handed her the towel and then rolled Tooey out of the bathroom. Before closing the door, she said, "I'll bring you some dry clothes when you are finished bathing." Molly could only smile as she began pulling her Qaspeg over her head.
Qaspeg – Tunic length, (falling between hip and knee length) hooded overshirt with a large front pocket
* Anchorage Regional Hospital *
Daniel watched as Trini was sleeping. "Look at Texas." He told Joy as he held the phone up for her. "She looks so peaceful. How did she take the news?" "She sulked for a bit but then settled down and eventually fell asleep." Daniel relayed.
"Sorry honey, I don't remember what you had said. How much longer are they going to keep her there?" Joy asked. "Atsaq, and the other doctors said, she would need to remain under observation for the next two or three days. As you can tell Texas was not happy with that. I let her know it was to ensure that she was good before she went back home." Daniel said with a groan.
"I know she is unhappy but think how much happier she'll be when she gets back and sees the chickens, Four-spots, her friends and of course me." Daniel started and looked at the phone. "Honey, are you able to take some leave?" "Yep, I'll be leaving on Thursday arriving Friday. She should be arriving home the same day. So, it'll be a good welcome home for her." Joy mentioned smiling.
"I know she'll love seeing you, my love. Just don't forget I'll also be enjoying your arrival as well. I love you and can't wait to see you." He whispered, not wanting to wake Trini up.
Blowing a kiss towards the phone, Joy smiled. "I love and miss you both. See you both in a few days. Keep me posted on any new developments." Joy told him. "Sure thing, my love." Daniel responded smiling.
* Denali Trading Post, Qyah Alaska *
Molly paced around her room. She had no idea what to think about her best friend and what had happened when she was there earlier. Looking at the clock she saw that it was almost 5pm. "I need to go to Trini's place and bed down the chickens and feed Four-spots." She walked out of the room and nearly ran into her father.
"Hey Molly Doodle. You seem distracted, is everything okay?" He asked. She immediately nodded her head. "Everything is great dad. I'm going over to Trini's and take care of the chickens and Four-spots."
"Okay, be sure to bundle up, the blizzards may have passed but it's still winter. Be careful." He hugged her as she was passing by him. "I will, see you later. I also may stop by Tooey's place and check on him too. Is that okay?"
"Sure thing, call me and let me know you got to both places safely." "Yes sir," She called as she went downstairs. Exiting the trading post, she made her way to Trini's to take care of her "chores."
After first checking in with her father, she checked the chickens and made sure they had plenty of fresh water and food. She also replaced the straw in their roosting boxes. Once they were comfortable, she then went inside and fed and played with Four-spots. Once Four-spots was good and tired, she put down a few pads just in case he didn't make it to the morning. She closed their door and made her way to the Ookami residence.
She knocked on the door. She waited but didn't hear any sounds or movement. She knocked again and pressed her ear to the door. She had a feeling that Tooey was there by himself since mom had not returned yet from the hospital. "I wonder if Trini is coming home today?" She thought.
Taking a chance, she tried the doorknob. It turned and allowed her access to the house. Not wanting to scare Tooey, she called out, "Tooey, it's Molly, no one answered when I knocked so I came in!" Not seeing anyone in the living room, or kitchen, she started walking up the stairs. "Tooey, are you okay? Are you upstairs!?" she asked climbing.
"I'm in here." She heard Tooey say. She walked up to the hallway and looked around "Here where?" she asked. Since hearing him, she had a feeling she knew where he was. "In the bathroom." Tooey said.
She looked in and found him next to the tub facing the toilet. "Are you needing help with something Tooey?" He turned his head around as Molly walked into the bathroom. "Actually, I was about to call mom about dinner, then I was going to lay down for a bit, since I am feeling tired. Mom said I can sleep in the braces, but if I wear them too long my legs could swell. I found that out last night when I tried to sleep."
Molly grimaced when he talked about the pain. "Did it hurt a lot Tooey?" He nodded his head. "Yes, it hurt a lot. It's hard to get to sleep when that pain kept getting worse the longer I tried to ignore it."
He tried to turn his body to face the sink and found it difficult because the chair was in the way. "I already finished using the bathroom and was just getting ready to wash my hands. But I could use some help since I can't really turn the chair in such a small room."
Molly smiled as he was talking. "Also, when I get ready for bed can you please help me remove the braces since I can't remove them without some help." Tooey asked with a sorrowful expression. "Oh, okay, I can help you do that. Your mom, showed me this morning." Molly said smiling again.
"Cool, just give me a minute to wash my hands." He said. She helped him to turn around and face the sink. Once in front of the sink she turned on the water.
Tooey washed and dried his hands. While he was washing up, Molly took the time to call and let her father know that she had made it safely. "Sure, thing Dad, I love you too." Molly told him ending the call.
She watched as he was lathering his hands. She saw that just like when he eats his favorite foods, he counts to himself like we're taught to when COVID happened a year or so ago.
As she was watching him, her thoughts returned to the morning when she came over to help. She remembered how nervous she had gotten just being around Tooey and what his state of dress was.
Tooey dried his hands, Molly then focused on her heartbeat and noticed that it was a little fast but not like it was this morning. She was still not sure about how she felt about the situation they were in this morning.
"All done." Tooey said sitting back down. Startled out of her thoughts. Smiling again, she walked behind and pushed him into his room. "I hope you don't mind if I change before going down and looking into some dinner. It'll save a trip up and down the stairs?" He asked looking back at Molly.
"I don't mind, whatever you need. If would be my pleasure to help in any way I can. You know that Teekkone." Molly said pushing him towards his dresser. She angled the chair alongside his dresser and waited as he pulled out his wolf pajamas.
He pulled them out and then pointed to the bunk beds he usually slept in. "The next part I need help with we'll do on the bed. Okay?" Molly nodded. Rolling the chair by the bed, Tooey placed his clothes onto the bed. "I can stand on my own, but can you help me stay upright since I have trouble balancing on these braces please."
Molly reached down and locked the chairs' wheels and then extended her arm. Tooey used her arm to help raise himself into a standing position. They slowly turned pivoting so he could move his legs at his own pace and not in a hurried manner. She didn't want to cause him any more pain like she did before his bath this morning.
"I wonder how he feels about me when I am helping him? I mean I caused him pain earlier and saw him nearly naked this morning." As Tooey was sitting down he looked at Molly and calmly smiled.
What Molly didn't realize was she had accidentally whispered that thought aloud and Tooey heard every word. He didn't say anything because he didn't want to embarrass her by revealing that he knew what she should have been thinking to herself about him.
"I just want you to know that I appreciate all of the help you had been giving me. Both with helping me and the dogs." He said smiling. Molly returning the smile. "Your welcome, I would do anything for you, all you have to do is ask." She admitted.
"Molly. After dinner, and you help me back up here. Can you place the chair alongside the bunk bed so when I get up in the morning, I can reach it without having to move too much?" Seeing where he was pointing, "Of course, no problem." She said.
"Mom hasn't returned from the hospital yet?" He asked. Molly instantly shook her head, "No, mom hadn't returned either. Once you're dressed, I'll call and find out if they're coming back tonight."
"Okay." Tooey said scooting back a bit onto the bed. Picking up his pajamas, she threw them onto the chair. She reached for the braces below his knees. "Mom said when they swell, I'll be in so much pain I won't be able to sleep. I would rather sleep than be crying." He stated as he began undoing the straps above his knees.
Once he had them all done. He rolled them both to his thighs before leaning back and bracing himself for what was about to happen. Biting her lip, she reached down and pulled them off as softly as she could watching Tooey's every response. Not seeing anything wrong she did the same for the other brace before placing them onto the chair. She picked up his pajamas and handed them to him.
He started unbuttoning his pants and tried leaning forward. Molly again extended her arm, helping him to stand. He let his pants fall down his thighs just above his knees, before sitting back down. Once Tooey had sat down, reached, and began pulling his pants off like she had done with his braces.
Molly picked up the pajamas, and going as slowly as possible she placed them over each leg. She eased them up until they were above his knees. Extending her arm again, she helped him to stand, and he pulled them up the rest of the way,
"Thanks Molly, hopefully, my mom would be here and would be able to help when I need it." Molly listened but said, "I don't mind helping. You know that Tooey. I just wish Trini could be home soon. I am starting to miss her even though we just saw her yesterday."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. We were a team this whole week. Her not being here just feels bad." Tooey remarked lying back. "Earlier you had mentioned dinner. Let me call mom and find out what's they'll be doing" She told him pulling out her phone and calling her mother.
"Hi honey." Layla answered. "Hey mom, I am at Tooey's place helping him. We were just talking about dinner, and he was wondering when Atsaq was coming back home?"
A moment later, Atsaq's voice came from the phone. "Hello Molly, I won't be coming home this evening because I am needed to help with other patients. I am usually here a few times a week. I also help at other understaffed hospitals." Molly then heard some other words in the background. She wondered what was being said.
"Molly." The voice belonged to her mother. "Yes mom." She wondered. "I was just talking to Atsaq, and she told me the kind of help Tooey needs, would you like to stay there and help until we get back from Anchorage tomorrow since he'll need help in the morning." Layla asked.
Since the phone was on speaker, Tooey was also listening to the conversation. "Um, okay. I need to go home and get some clothes and bring Tooey some dinner dad said he already made. Would that be all right?" she asked.
"That would be perfect, you would both have eaten, and we don't have to worry about Tooey not being able to get the help he needs since he is still not used to using the chair. Here's Atsaq." Both looked at each other before Atsaq started speaking.
"Tooey, Are you okay? Has Molly been a big help to you just like she was this morning?" Tooey and Molly rolled their eyes, smiling before Tooey answered. "Yes Dr. Ookami, your assistant has been very helpful and has been good company since the only thing I have to talk to here is Mouse."
"Okay, be safe and if you need anything from me, just call, or video and I'll do what I can. Have a good sleepover. Be good." Atsaq said. "Molly, let me know if there is anything you need to pack for the sleepover, I'll call dad, and he can have it ready." Layla offered.
Layla heard some muffled talking before her daughter came back onto the phone, "Let dad know I need my pills for my headaches, dinner for both of us, my pajamas, and slippers. I'll leave Suki there since she'll just being in the way if I have her here while I am helping Tooey. Thanks mom."
"Sure thing. While you're on your way, I'll relay your message. See you tomorrow, bye Molly and Tooey."
"Bye Layla and mom." Tooey said
"Bye Mom and Atsaq." Molly said.
Hearing each other's responses, they burst out laughing. "We didn't exactly ape each other but we did say the same thing just in a different order." Tooey mentioned still laughing.
"True," Molly stood and hesitated a moment. "Do you want to stay up here, or should I help you back downstairs for dinner when I get back since I am going to have to re-heat it?" Tooey looked at the chair as he was speaking, "Downstairs, I would not want you to have to do this after trudging through all of the snow to get back here." Tooey stated.
"Okay thanks for the consideration." She mentioned unlocking the chair and pulling it in front of Tooey.
* Alaska Native Medical Center, Anchorage, Alaska *
Trini watched as her father, Atsaq and another doctor were talking. She watched her father to see if she could get an idea of what they were talking about. They were not giving her any clues but kept turning in her direction. Atsaq seemed very closed, as Trini observed her.
Trini wished she had the phone, but Daniel was holding it up during the adults' conversation. Trini wondered if mom was on the phone and listening to what the others were talking about. She reached back and pulled the bear in front of her and just squeezed him and held on tight.
After what felt like an eternity, she watched as the adults dispersed and her father and Atsaq entered the room and approached the bed. "Is there any good news or am I staying here longer. I am glad I got to be in a hospital for the first time, but I really miss my friends." Trini admitted holding the bear close to her.
"I know you do Texas. First things first, mom is on the phone, she would like to talk to you." "Cool, I forgot she was on the phone." She said, reaching for the phone.
"Hey Trini bear, I see you have another bear to keep you company, so now I have two bears to kiss." Joy said. Catching on to what Joy had said, "Mom, are you coming home soon?" Joy's smile broadened. "I do have some leave, and I could use it to go home and see my favorite husband and daughter. Unless you feel I should go to Texas and visit my family instead."
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, seeing us is better, you can see them on video when you get here." Trini pled smiling widely. "I told you she would say that. By the way you owe me five dollars, she caught on without missing a beat."
"Okay honey, but I did say our daughter was smart." Daniel smiled at Joy, "See you when you get here. Bye my love." Daniel said, holding the phone out for Trini. Trini screamed and waved, "Bye mom, see you when you get home." Daniel closed the phone and placed it onto the table next to the bed.
He then watched as Atsaq placed her hand on Trini's chest and opened her gown. She looked at the work done by the surgeons and allowed the gown to fall back into place. "She has a lot of swelling, but it looks to be healing nicely, day after tomorrow, we should be able to take her home." Atsaq said, adding a few notes to the chart hanging at the end of the bed.
"Don't worry Texas, the next two days will pass by like nothing." "I hope so dad, waiting to see Tooey and Molly is driving me crazy. I can't wait." Trini admitted snuggling the bear closer as she reclined in the bed. Daniel smiled and returned to the recliner and picked up his book and continued reading. About 7 minutes later he looked up and saw that she was fast asleep.
* Ookami Residence, Qyah, Alaska *
"Molly thanks for dinner, it was good." Tooey complimented her. She smiled but pointed to the microwave oven. "My father made it; all I did was warm it up in the microwave oven."
Noticing how she deflected his compliment, he repeated his statement "I'm still thanking you for thinking of me and bringing dinner over."
Molly blushed a little as she smiled. "You know something Molly, having dinner just now seemed to be like we were on a dinner date." Molly smiled again. "I bet you never expected the date to involve me undressing you like this morning and dressing you this evening." She pointed out.
"True, but since the accident, I think you, Trini, and I have a better understanding of each other. Which is why I was not bothered when I was taking the bath. You are like my sister, so I don't feel embarrassed when we are together. Besides, we used to bathe together when we were really little. I am sorry if it still affects you." Tooey admitted watching her reaction.
Molly thought about the whole episode they had gone through. She didn't feel bad and completely understood where Tooey was coming from. "Tooey, I believe that since we are that close to each other, I can embarrass you right now." Tooey rolled his eyes, "You can give it a try, but I don't know. I can do things without things bother—"
He was interrupted when he heard Molly, "I love you." Molly watched as Teekkone Ookami was speechless. "I think I got you Teekkone." Molly bragged. Noticing that he hadn't said anything, Tooey tried to save face. "Well thank you Molly, and just like you, I love you too." Molly saw that his face flushed slightly as he admitted that to her.
She really messed him up when she stood, stacked the plates and before picking them up, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. He flushed deeper crimson but did not appear to be disgusted by her actions.
After throwing away the containers and paper plates they used, she turned and looked at his lap. She smiled when she saw that she had another way to affect him.
* Alaska Native Medical Center, Anchorage, Alaska *
Trini woke from a dreamless slumber. She looked around the room and saw her father was in the recliner fast asleep. She looked at her arm and saw that the IV had been removed. In its place was a colorful bandage that had polar bears on it. She smiled since she was starting to like bears, since she first arrived in Qyah and told Molly and Tooey she was afraid of being eaten by a polar bear.
Thinking back to those days she began to calculate some numbers. "I was really foolish back then, when I was seven, now that I'm nine I can tell when things are really silly and what is serious.
Like my injury, this is serious, and what happened to Molly and Tooey as well. We all could have been really hurt or worse. She really didn't want to think about what worse could have been.
Looking at the nearby table she saw the phone charging. Picking it up she saw it was fully charged. Replacing it, she climbed out of bed in her hospital gown and put on her slippers. She also picked up a bag dad had brought her. Inside were small versions of a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, a bar of soap and washcloth just like she usually had at home.
She walked out of the room for the first time without having to drag that pole around with her as she went. Waving at the nurses' station, she made her way to the restroom to freshen up before having breakfast. Inside she looked in the mirror and saw her reflection.
Curious at what her surgical site looked like, she untied her gown letting the gown fall to her waist. She immediately saw the staples that were used to close the incision she guessed was needed to repair the damage to her ribs. "At least I can breathe better. When we were in the hole, breathing was not easy." She thought to herself as she placed her bag onto the counter.
Looking behind herself in the mirror she noticed that the bathroom had a stand shower. Thinking to herself again, "I think dad brought some clothes for me, since the last ones needed to be cleaned. I should check if he did."
Closing her gown, she made her way to the door. Leaving her little bag of supplies in the restroom, she walked back to the room and saw the bag he had brought next to the recliner.
She tiptoed to the chair softly not wanting to wake him since he needed the rest. Smiling as she watched him sleeping, she lifted the bag and noticed she felt some pressure. Thankfully, it was nothing like when she first injured herself. "I'm glad they fixed me, because the pain I just felt would have been terrible."
Bag in hand, she walked back towards the restroom. As she passed the nurses station, she saw it was empty. "I guess they're checking on the other patients." She pushed the restroom door open and walked over to the sink. She placed the bag onto the counter. Reaching around, she untied the gown placing it onto the sink.
She reached for the bar of soap and the washcloth. She was instantly startled when the toilet in the stall along the wall flushed. She turned and saw a boy exiting the stall. "I thought I heard someone coming…." He was saying as he slowly stopped. In front of him was a girl in her underwear.
He looked her up and down and stared at her chest looking at the scars she had on her chest from the surgery. "What happened to your chest?" he asked. He looked to be about the same age as her. "I was in an accident a few days ago. They had to repair a few of my ribs because they were broken. Why are you in the hospital." she asked.
"I was hiking just outside of Nenana when I accidentally fell into the river and fell under the ice. I thought the ice was solid, I guess I fell into a hole someone left from ice fishing. I think I drowned but I woke up here last night. Doctors said they wanted to monitor me. I should be going home later on today."
They both just watched each other not saying anything for a few moments. He walked closer to her, and she just kept her eyes on him as he reached towards the sink and washed his hands.
"Um," he stammered. Trini watched as he washed his hands and then dried them using the blower. As he was drying his hands, she looked in the bag, removed a towel, and wrapped it around herself, covering the surgical site at which he was staring. "I just came to have a shower since I just saw the bathroom had one." Trini mentioned pointing to the shower.
"Oh, that's cool, I am sorry I didn't know you were in the bathroom, but I really needed to go." He admitted. "I can understand that, when me and my best friends were in the hole for three days I had to use the bathroom as well. My friend helped me because I couldn't do it myself because of my ribs. I should be going home day after tomorrow, and I can be with my friends again." She told him.
"I'm glad you'll be able to be with your friends again. By the way, my name is Robbie Atalawa." He mentioned. "Trini Mumford, my room number is six. I'm there with my dad." She said as she walked towards the shower.
"I'm in room twenty-three, my mom and dad are there. Maybe I'll see you again before I leave today. Sorry I walked out and saw you like that." Trini turned towards him, "I am not bothered by how I look. It was nice meeting you, just not in a bathroom, that part was unexpected." She admitted turning on the water and feeling it. It started out cold, she turned the other tap and waited for the water to warm up.
"Nice meeting you too Trini. I'll leave you to your shower. Again, I'm sorry." Trini felt the water and it was just how she liked it. "No problem, Bye."
"Bye." Robbie said, closing the door as he exited. She removed the towel and hung it on a hook next to the shower stall. Reaching down she was about to remove her underwear when the door opened again, and she stopped.
Robbie appeared at the door again, he smiled at her, "You might want to lock the shower door before someone else walks in on you wearing less than you are now. Bye." He relayed to her, closing the door again. She walked into the shower stall and then clicked the lock on the door handle.
She gingerly cleaned herself being careful not to open the area of her chest that was stapled. Ten minutes later she exited the bathroom wearing her usual clothes. When she arrived back to the room, her father was in the recliner waiting for her to return.
"Where did you go to Texas?" He asked. "I had to go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. There was a shower. I came back and got the clothes you brought and took a shower. I just finished." She said putting the bag beside her father and then returning to the bed and climbing in.
"Atsaq was here a few minutes ago, she let me know that the surgical team has reviewed your test results. You will definitely be going home tomorrow after breakfast." Trini jumped for joy and tried to stretch her arms to the ceiling but the tightness in her chest prevented that. Instead, a verbal response was given, "Great dad, I can't wait to get back home. I really miss my friends, especially Molly and Tooey."
"I know Trini, I can't wait to get back home myself. Do you want Molly to continue helping with the chickens and Four-spots when you get home, or can you manage it." He asked her.
"I think I can manage it, but they can come over whenever they want if they want to help. I know Tooey won't be able to, but Molly can, if her head doesn't hurt much.
Yupik Dictionary
Waquaa! – Hello
Aana – Mother
Tua-Ingunnituq – Goodbye
Tuntuvak – Moose
Quyana – Thank you
Quyana Tailuci! – Thank you for coming
Gwich'in Dictionary
Sheggoya – My grandchild
Ti'yaa – My father
Dak Niighit – "She rises into the air" Layla Mabray's Native name.
Shchada – My grandfather
Dinjik – Moose
Khoh t'án - Rose
Shahnyaa – One who informs us – Molly's native name
Qaspeg – Tunic length, (falling between hip and knee length) hooded overshirt with a large front pocket