the general
direction of his chin.
“Sorry! Can you at least scoot yourself across the
seat. I’ll lift your cast, all right?” They finally succeeded in getting her
arranged more or less comfortably on the seat. Hannah passed a pillow and blanket in, cautioning him to go gently on
the trip into town.
“Wouldn’t
want to upset her, you know. She hasn’t
eaten and those tablets can be hard on the tummy.” Leaning in the window, she said gently, “You
take care now, dearie. You’ll be right
as rain in no time.” Peg’s response was a
drowsy snort.
About
three miles over hill and down dale and in the rearview mirror, he noticed Peg
moving restlessly. “All right back
there, darlin’?” Michael asked, reaching a comforting hand in her direction.
“No! Stop! I’m gonna be sick!” Reaching up,
she grabbed a fistful of Kendall’s shirt, tethering him to the seat. “Stop, now!” she ordered through clenched teeth.
“Let go
of me, Peg! You’re choking me!” Released from her grasp, he’d steered to the
verge, flung himself out of the car and opened the rear door in time to snatch
up the blanket and thrust it in more or less the necessary position as Peg
hunched forward. Somewhere on the
periphery he was aware of Michael moaning in sympathy, but he seemed to have
put some distance between himself and the current unpleasantness.
When
the retching finally ceased and the now sadly soiled blanket was discarded in
the roadside hedge, Peg lay back on the pillow with a sigh and promptly fell
asleep again. For the remaining five
miles into town, Kendall held the car to a crawl, wondering what further
horrors awaited. His faith in Michael as
any sort of nurse had evaporated when the man stood by while he, Kendall, held
Peg’s head as she heaved. He considered
going to the station to meet the train and commandeering Adelaide’s services
for the night.
With
that idea still a comforting possibility, he coasted to the curb in front of
their destination. While Michael went
ahead to open doors, Kendall was left to figure out the best way to extract the
patient from the car. She was barely
awake, and obviously disoriented. When
he touched her shoulder, she muttered “Stop, Connie. I don’t want to go to the old dance,” and
swatted the air with a limp hand.
“Come
on, old girl. Can’t you help me out even
a little bit here? Just slide toward the
door so I can get my arm around you.” He
watched her struggle to gather her wits, screwing up her face as though
preparing to move mountains. “That’s it,
sweetheart. Just a
little further now.”
“I
can’t! I’m just too tired!” To his dismay, she slumped forward, head in
hands, sobbing pitifully.
He had the
irrational urge to do the same. “Please
don’t cry, Peg. Here, give me your
hands. I’ll pull and you push, how’s
that?” This time she came close to
easing out of the car, and he awkwardly slid his hand beneath her knees,
wondering what damage might be done to his spine when he lifted her.
“Don’t! I can walk.” He’d heard drunken school mates speak more coherently. Whatever that tablet had been, he questioned
the wisdom of dispensing anything so potent to a minor.
“No you cannot walk. There’s a twenty-pound cast on your leg. Look! Surely you haven’t forgotten that !”
She
stared at the cast, a look of surprise dawning in her eyes. “Oh. Will you carry me? I can’t walk.” In the dim light of a nearby streetlamp, her
face was touchingly innocent, the smattering of freckles standing out in stark
relief against her pallor. Something in
the area of his heart twisted at the sight.
“That’s
the plan.” He took advantage of the
moment to heft her into his arms, turning to find Michael had been standing
patiently in the doorway throughout the scene. “Just hang on, now. We’ll
direction of his chin.
“Sorry! Can you at least scoot yourself across the
seat. I’ll lift your cast, all right?” They finally succeeded in getting her
arranged more or less comfortably on the seat. Hannah passed a pillow and blanket in, cautioning him to go gently on
the trip into town.
“Wouldn’t
want to upset her, you know. She hasn’t
eaten and those tablets can be hard on the tummy.” Leaning in the window, she said gently, “You
take care now, dearie. You’ll be right
as rain in no time.” Peg’s response was a
drowsy snort.
About
three miles over hill and down dale and in the rearview mirror, he noticed Peg
moving restlessly. “All right back
there, darlin’?” Michael asked, reaching a comforting hand in her direction.
“No! Stop! I’m gonna be sick!” Reaching up,
she grabbed a fistful of Kendall’s shirt, tethering him to the seat. “Stop, now!” she ordered through clenched teeth.
“Let go
of me, Peg! You’re choking me!” Released from her grasp, he’d steered to the
verge, flung himself out of the car and opened the rear door in time to snatch
up the blanket and thrust it in more or less the necessary position as Peg
hunched forward. Somewhere on the
periphery he was aware of Michael moaning in sympathy, but he seemed to have
put some distance between himself and the current unpleasantness.
When
the retching finally ceased and the now sadly soiled blanket was discarded in
the roadside hedge, Peg lay back on the pillow with a sigh and promptly fell
asleep again. For the remaining five
miles into town, Kendall held the car to a crawl, wondering what further
horrors awaited. His faith in Michael as
any sort of nurse had evaporated when the man stood by while he, Kendall, held
Peg’s head as she heaved. He considered
going to the station to meet the train and commandeering Adelaide’s services
for the night.
With
that idea still a comforting possibility, he coasted to the curb in front of
their destination. While Michael went
ahead to open doors, Kendall was left to figure out the best way to extract the
patient from the car. She was barely
awake, and obviously disoriented. When
he touched her shoulder, she muttered “Stop, Connie. I don’t want to go to the old dance,” and
swatted the air with a limp hand.
“Come
on, old girl. Can’t you help me out even
a little bit here? Just slide toward the
door so I can get my arm around you.” He
watched her struggle to gather her wits, screwing up her face as though
preparing to move mountains. “That’s it,
sweetheart. Just a
little further now.”
“I
can’t! I’m just too tired!” To his dismay, she slumped forward, head in
hands, sobbing pitifully.
He had the
irrational urge to do the same. “Please
don’t cry, Peg. Here, give me your
hands. I’ll pull and you push, how’s
that?” This time she came close to
easing out of the car, and he awkwardly slid his hand beneath her knees,
wondering what damage might be done to his spine when he lifted her.
“Don’t! I can walk.” He’d heard drunken school mates speak more coherently. Whatever that tablet had been, he questioned
the wisdom of dispensing anything so potent to a minor.
“No you cannot walk. There’s a twenty-pound cast on your leg. Look! Surely you haven’t forgotten that !”
She
stared at the cast, a look of surprise dawning in her eyes. “Oh. Will you carry me? I can’t walk.” In the dim light of a nearby streetlamp, her
face was touchingly innocent, the smattering of freckles standing out in stark
relief against her pallor. Something in
the area of his heart twisted at the sight.
“That’s
the plan.” He took advantage of the
moment to heft her into his arms, turning to find Michael had been standing
patiently in the doorway throughout the scene. “Just hang on, now. We’ll
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